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The Life Cycle of Ancylostoma Duodenale

Ancylostoma duodenale is a species of parasitic hookworm in the nematode family that can infect human intestines. Symptoms can include an itching rash at the infection site, fever, coughing, and respiratory and gastrointestinal issues. Hookworms feed on the blood of the host. Severe infections can cause chronic blood loss and related anemia. People become infected with A. duodenale by coming in contact with infected soil. The infection may also be spread by oral or trans-mammary routes.

  1. The Egg Stage

    • Hookworm eggs pass through the intestinal tract of an infected host and are eliminated from the body in the stool. Within two days, the eggs will hatch in warm, moist soil. The larvae will live there, waiting for a host.

    The Rhabditiform Larval Stage

    • The first form of the larval stage is called a rhabditiform larva, which exists in contaminated feces or soil. For five to ten days, the larva will grow and molt two times.

    The Filariform Stage

    • After molting for the last time, the larva will enter a filariform stage. The worm larva can then infect a host. Filariform larvae can survive for up to a month in the soil. If a host touches the contaminated area, the larva enters through its skin. It then moves to the circulatory system and is carried to the lungs.

      The larva will exit the lungs, entering the alveoli and traveling up the tracheal tree. The host will eventually cough up the larva and swallow it. The larva will pass through the digestive tract to the small intestine, where it will grow into an adult.

    The Adult Stage

    • An adult hookworm will attach itself to the wall of the small intestine, feeding on the blood of the host and reproducing. Females will then lay eggs in the digestive tract to repeat the life cycle. Adult hookworms can live in the intestine for up to two years.

    Diagnosis and Treatment

    • Diagnosis can be determined by looking for hookworm eggs in a recently collected stool sample. Blood tests for anemia and nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, can help to confirm the diagnosis. Anti-parasitic drugs such as albendazole are the medication of choice for treating the infection.

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