The Ancylostomatidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of worms that includes the

hookworm Hookworms are intestinal, blood-feeding, parasitic roundworms that cause types of infection known as helminthiases. Hookworm infection is found in many parts of the world, and is common in areas with poor access to adequate water, sanitation, an ...

Genera of Ancylostomatidae

* '' Agriostomum'' * ''

Ancylostoma ''Ancylostoma'' is a genus of nematodes that includes some species of hookworms. Species include: : ''Ancylostoma braziliense'', commonly infects cats, popularly known in Brazil as ''bicho-geográfico'' : ''Ancylostoma caninum'', commonly infec ...

'' * ''

Bunostomum ''Bunostomum'' is a genus of nematodes of the small intestine of ruminants and camelids. Important species include: ''B. phlebotomum'' in calves and ''B. trigonocephalum'' in lambs. The worms are stout and measure in length. Young animals are mo ...

'' * '' Cyclodontostomum'' * '' Galonchus'' * '' Monodontus'' * '' Necator'' * '' Uncinaria''

Habit

The hookworms, ''Ancylostoma'' and ''Necator'', draw a plug of intestinal mucosa into their buccal capsule. The tissue is broken down and blood is rapidly pumped through the intestine of the nematode so that most of it goes undigested.

Lifecycle

The hookworms, ''Necator americanus'' and ''Ancylostoma duodenale'', hatch as first-stage juveniles within the soil and develop to an infective third-stage juvenile. Infection occurs by direct penetration through the skin of the host. Although the two species differ, they are both susceptible to environmental hazards such as desiccation. This limits their distribution to warm, wet climates such as the tropics. The third-stage juvenile is also the infective stage of trichostrongyle nematodes, including those infecting sheep and cattle. Both the first-stage juvenile within the egg and the ensheathed infective juvenile are resistant to desiccation, chemicals, and low temperatures and the infective juvenile can survive on pasture for several months before infecting a host.

Control

The most appropriate control measures for hookworms and ascariasis are to concentrate chemotherapy on heavily infected individuals (taking advantage of overdispersion) and to improve sanitation to reduce the rate of transmission.

References

Nematode families {{parasite-animal-stub