Ancylostomiasis
Ancylostomiasis, commonly known as hookworm infection, is a parasitic disease caused by hookworms belonging to the genus Ancylostoma. The two primary species responsible for human infection are Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. Infection typically occurs when hookworm larvae in the soil penetrate the skin, usually on the feet. These larvae then travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, enter the airways, are coughed up, and swallowed, eventually maturing into adult worms in the small intestine.
Once in the intestine, the adult hookworms attach to the intestinal wall and feed on blood. The