Transmission is affected by multiple factors such as warm and moist climate, contaminated water supply, and poor sanitation. Children and pregnant women are at the highest risk. Risk factors for developing hookworm infections include low socioeconomic background, exposure to infected soil, barefoot walking, poor sanitation, and personal hygiene. Necator americanus is the major cause of hookworm infections worldwide, while Ancylostoma duodenale tends to be endemic to the Mediterranean region and northern India and China. Infection predominates within developing countries and leads to huge losses of economic productivity due to anemia worsening the already existing poverty and disease. Worldwide, about 470 million people have hookworm infections. Ancylostoma braziliense is the primary cause of cutaneous larva migrans. Ancylostoma caninum, a dog hookworm, might cause enteritis and ileitis. Ancylostoma ceylanicum is currently considered a significant cause of zoonotic infections in some regions of Asia. EtiologyĪncylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus are the principal species that infect humans. While multiple medications are available to treat hookworm infections, prevention is still vital to fight complications. Moreover, pulmonary manifestations might occur by the effect of larval migration. They can cause chronic infection of the intestinal tract, suck their host blood, leading to iron deficiency anemia in most cases.
Two species are mainly responsible for human infections, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.
They usually affect the poorest individuals in tropical and subtropical areas. Hookworms are nematode parasites that usually get transmitted through infested soil.