Human hookworm

Species

• Necator americanus: majority of human hookworm cases

• Ancylostoma duodenale: Mediterranean region

• A.ceylanicum: SE Asia

Host invasion

• Larvae (L3) through skin, to circulation to lung, ascend oesophagus and swallowed to GIT where mature to adults and lay eggs

Clinical

• Ground itch rash (local pruritic erythematous rash as the site of initial skin invasion)

• GI upset

• Anaemia (feed on blood of host)

• Malnutrition

• Loffler

Diagnosis

• Faecal OCP, PCR?

• Eosinophilia

Treatment

• Albendazole (72% cure with single dose) or mebendazole (15% cure with single dose) STAT

• Iron

Prevention

• Sanitation

• Shoes

• Vaccine under development

Dog/cat hookworm (cutaneous larva migrans)

• AKA creeping eruption, is a zoonotic infection with hookworm species that do not use humans as a definitive host (i.e. human is accidental host), the most common being ancylostoma caninum and ancylostoma braziliense

• Route of infection: skin penetration. Worm burrows into subcutis, cannot penetrate further

Diagnosis

• Clinical

Treatment

• Albendazole, mebendazole, ivermectin

Prevention

• Shoes

References

• https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/zoonotichookworm/