An estimated 576-740 million people in the world are infected with hookworm.
Worms causing infection in people are parasites that live and breed mostly in the bowel (intestine). The most common worm in Australian children is the threadworm, Enterobius vermicularis, sometimes called the pinworm. Infection with other worms such as roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms is less common.
Hookworms feed on blood in your intestines. An untreated, severe infection results in blood loss. Blood loss can lead to anemia and protein deficiency. Severe anemia can cause dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, shortness of breath and chest pain.
Hookworm infections are common in the tropics and subtropics [1-3]. The prevalence of hookworm infection is highest in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
People living in areas with warm and moist climates and where sanitation and hygiene are poor are at risk for hookworm infection if they walk barefoot or in other ways allow their skin to have direct contact with contaminated soil.
There are several effective drugs, called anthelmintics, which will eliminate hookworms. Most are given orally and have few, if any, side effects. However, these drugs only kill the adult hookworms. "It is necessary to treat an infected dog again in about two to four weeks to kill newly developed adult worms..."
Cutaneous larva migrans eventually goes away on its own. However, because symptoms can last 5 to 6 weeks, people are usually treated with albendazole once a day for 3 or 7 days or ivermectin as a single dose. These drugs eliminate the infection.
Your dog cannot transmit hookworms to you directly, but hookworm eggs can pass through your dog's feces and into the environment. If humans contract the disease from the environment, the larvae will penetrate the skin and result in cutaneous larva migrans.
Detecting hookworm infection follows a standard and simple diagnostic method. All you have to do is book a stool test. In this process, you will only need to provide a sample of your stool.
There are two species of hookworm which affect dogs and cats in Australia – Ancylostoma and Uncinaria. Adult worms are approximately 16 mm long and very thin. They live attached to the intestine of dogs, cats, and people. In reasonable numbers, they can cause illness and even death.
In Australia, the worm can infect anyone, but is most common in Indigenous Australian communities, refugees, returning overseas travellers and Vietnam veterans. Estimates suggest the prevalence of infection in Indigenous Australian communities is 35-60%.
Hookworms cannot pass to another individual through personal contact. Infection can only happen when the eggs mature into larvae in soil.
The adult hookworm is up to 3 mm long and difficult to see without a microscope. It takes 2 to 3 weeks for hookworms to start laying eggs that can be detected. In the meantime, pets may have no symptoms.
What is the treatment for animal hookworm infection? The animal hookworm larvae that cause cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) usually do not survive more than 5 – 6 weeks in the human host. In most patients with CLM, the signs and symptoms resolve without medical treatment.
Parasites like hookworm, roundworm, and giardia can be passed from dog to human through licking. Salmonella, too, can be passed from your dog to you, or vice versa.
Creeping eruption is a skin infection caused by hookworms. It can be caused by exposure to moist sand that has been contaminated by infected dog or cat stool. It appears as a winding, snakelike rash with blisters and itching.
If your dog has hookworm, his bedding may contain hookworm larvae, which are transmitted through fecal matter that may be invisible to the eye.
Did you know? Hookworms are a serious threat to dogs, especially young puppies. They can cause blood loss, weight loss, diarrhea or death.
Hookworms will look like a thin string in your dog's feces, but you may not be able to seem them even if your dog has hookworms. It's important to take your dog in for an examination and bring the stool for proper examination.
Hookworms are intestinal parasites of the cat and dog. Their name is derived from the hook-like mouthparts they use to anchor themselves to the lining of the intestinal wall. They are only about 1/8" (2-3 mm) long and so small in diameter that they are barely visible to the naked eye.
Bleach (three cups per gallon of water) will kill hookworm larvae on cement. Contamination of the environment can be reduced by prophylactic treatment of susceptible animals and by removing feces daily (since eggs can become infective in just two days).
Indoors, the floor should be vacuumed and cleaned with an all-purpose cleaner. Litter boxes and bedding should be scrubbed and laundered. All animals in the house should be dewormed together to ensure all infected animals are treated.