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Necator americanus
Diseases | Sites and Sources | Diagnostic Factors | Virulence Factors | Treatment and Prevention | Commentary
- Category
- hookworm
- Classification
- helminth, nematode
Ground itch
| pruritis |
erythema |
rash |
| itching |
|
|
Hookworm disease
| anemia |
abdominal pain |
diarrhea |
| bloody stool |
weight loss |
pneumonia |
| hypoproteinemia |
eosinophilia |
|
| soil, source |
GI tract, pathogen |
intestine, pathogen |
| small intestine, pathogen |
lung, pathogen |
skin, pathogen |
| skin penetration |
anticoagulants |
blood ingestion |
| cutting plates |
|
|
| mebendazole |
pyrantel pamoate |
sanitation |
Hookworm is a soil transmitted nematode. The larvae invade the skin, are transported haematogenously to the lungs, are coughed up and then swallowed. They mature in the small intestine and cause their damage by blood ingestion. Heavy infection in conjunction with poor nutritional status, particularly iron intake, induces chronic anemia. Hookworms cause all the sequelae (physical and mental retardation, cardiac disease, etc.) of chronic anemia by blood loss due to feeding activity of hookworms. LIFE CYCLE
Updated: May 12, 1999
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