The larvae mature into a form that can penetrate the skin of humans. Hookworm infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. One kind of hookworm can also be transmitted through the ingestion of larvae. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms.
How do hookworms typically enter a human body?
How are hookworm infections spread? You can become infected with hookworms by coming into contact with soil that contains their larvae. The larvae enter your skin, travel through your bloodstream, and enter your lungs. They are carried to your small intestine when you cough them out of the lung and swallow.
Where do hookworms enter?
Hookworm is a parasite that infects the intestines. Hookworm larvae (eggs) enter through your skin. Once they reach the intestine, they hatch. As the name implies, hookworms have a hook-like head that attaches to the intestinal walls.
How do humans get hookworms from dogs?
Animals that are infected pass hookworm eggs in their stools. The eggs can hatch into larvae, and both eggs and larvae may be found in dirt where animals have been. People may become infected while walking barefoot or when exposed skin comes in contact with contaminated soil or sand.
How do hookworms penetrate human tissues?
Hookworms are large, multicellular organisms which infect their host as an immature larva by penetrating the skin. They then migrate via the bloodstream to the lungs, break through the alveoli and migrate up the trachea to be swallowed, finally residing in the small intestine as adult worms.
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