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hookworm
Etiology:
- Ancylostoma duodenale
- Necator americanus
Epidemiology:
- hookworm larvae penetrate skin of humans exposed to soil contaminated with human feces [2]
- the larvae penetrate venules & embolize to the lungs
- in the lungs the larvae penetrate alveoli resulting in asymptomatc alveolitis with eosinophilia
- coughing, then swallowing transports the larvae into the intestines where they mature into adults [2]
- adult worms feed on blood from the mucosal capillaries [2]
Pathology:
- parasitic, round worms that infest the intestines
- cutaneous larva migrans (migration of hookworm larvae in the epidermis)
- leading cause of iron-deficiency anemia in developing countries [2]
* images [2,3]
Related
cutaneous larva migrans
Specific
Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworm)
Necator americanus (hookworm)
General
helminth infection
References
- Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 17, 18
American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2015, 2018
- Grimm L
What's Eating You: 12 Common Intestinal Parasites.
Medscape. November 25, 2019
https://reference.medscape.com/slideshow/intestinal-parasites-6010996
- Grim L
You've Got Worms! Common Intestinal Parasites
Medscape. Jan 23, 2023
https://reference.medscape.com/slideshow/intestinal-parasites-6014593