Necator Americanus

Infectious
Agent/Disease
Scientific name :
Necator americanus

Common name:
New World
hookworm of humans,
the American killer
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Aschelminthes
Class:Nematoda
Order:Strongiloidae
Family:Ancylostomatidae
subfamily Necatorinae;
Genus:Necator
 The hookworm is a parasitic nematode
worm that lives in the small intestine
of its host, which may be a mammal
such as a dog, cat, or human.
Two species of hookworms commonly
infect humans, Ancylostoma
duodenale and Necator americanus.
Hookworms are thought to infect
800 million people worldwide
 Hookworm is a leading cause of
maternal and child morbidity in the
developing countries of the tropics
and subtropics. In susceptible
children hookworms cause
intellectual, cognitive and growth
retardation, intrauterine growth
retardation, prematurity, and low
birth weight among newborns born
to infected mothers.
Characteristics:
has a pair of dorsal and a pair of ventral
cutting plates surrounding the anterior
margin of the buccal capsule
In addition, a pair of subdorsal and a pair
of subventral teeth are near the rear of
the buccal capsule.
Males are 7 to 9 mm long and have a
bursa diagnostic for the genus. The
needlelike spicules have minute barbs at
their tips and are fused distally.
 Adult males are 8 to 11 mm long and have a
bursa characteristic for the species. The
needlelike spicules have simple tips and are
never fused distally.

Females are 9 to 11 mm long and have the

vulva located in about the middle of the
body.

AdultsFemales are 10 to 13 mm long,

with the vulva located about a third of
the body length from the posterior
end.
 eggs are 64-76 X 35-40 m
head curves opposite to
curvature of body, giving a
hooked appearance to the
anterior end
intestinal nematode parasite
Hookworm egg
Hookworm eggs in the stool
examination from the patient
Hookworm, various eggs in the stool
examination from the patient.
Hookworm ova and larva in the
stool examination from case.
Hookworm egg from feces of cat.
Female and Male
Female and Male
Mode of Transmission
Infective larvae, develop
from eggs excreted in feces
and penetrate the skin,
usually by the dorsum of the
bare feet or between the
toes; vertical transmission
from mother to child is
possible.
Epidemiology
Widely in tropical and subtropical
countries, where improper disposal
of human feces is practiced;
occurs in South East Asia, South
Pacific and East Africa and South
America - moisture and
temperature conditions favour
development of larvae; sporadic
cases occurs in southeastern US;
prevalence higher in rural areas;
universal susceptibility
INCUBATION PERIOD:
-Variable; GI symptoms can
appear 35-40 days after
exposure to filariform larvae
COMMUNICABILITY:

-Notdirectly transmitted from

person-to-person
Pathogenicity
Infective larvae penetrate skin
and travel via the lymphatics to
enter the bloodstream, the lungs
and the small intestine; adult
parasites attached to the villi of
small intestines suck blood causing
abdominal discomfort, diarrhea,
cramps, anorexia, weight loss;
clinical features correspond mainly
to the intensity of infection;
heavy infection leads to
development of iron deficiency and
hypochromic microcytic
anemia;leading causes of iron-
deficiency anemia in children
resulting in physical and mental
retardation in development;
infection causes cutaneous larva
migrans - a self-limiting condition
characterized by skin eruption;
fatality is rare; no evidence of
immunity in the infected.
Life Cycle
 Eggs are passed in the stool , and under favorable
conditions (moisture, warmth, shade), larvae hatch in
1 to 2 days. The released rhabditiform larvae grow in
the feces and/or the soil , and after 5 to 10 days
(and two molts) they become become filariform
(third-stage) larvae that are infective These
infective larvae can survive 3 to 4 weeks in favorable
environmental conditions. On contact with the human
host, the larvae penetrate the skin and are carried
through the veins to the heart and then to the lungs.
They penetrate into the pulmonary alveoli, ascend the
bronchial tree to the pharynx, and are swallowed
The larvae reach the small intestine, where they
reside and mature into adults. Adult worms live in the
lumen of the small intestine, where they attach to
the intestinal wall with resultant blood loss by the
host . Most adult worms are eliminated in 1 to 2
years, but longevity records can reach several years.
Viability
DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY:
Sensitive to, mebendazola, pyrantel
pamoate, levamisole and albendazole-is
effective both in the intestinal stage
and during the stage the parasite is still
migrating under the skin.
DRUG RESISTANCE:
Mebendazola resistant strains have been
reported.
 SUSCEPTIBILITY TO
DISINFECTANTS:
-Susceptible to 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2%
glutaraldehyde.
PHYSICAL INACTIVATION:
-Larvae sensitive to desiccation and
freezing.
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST:
-Larvae can survive up to 3-4 weeks in
moist, optimal survival in moist, sandy or
loamy soil with ambient temperatures of
24-32 C.
Similarities
between the
Ancylostoma duodonale and
Necator americanus.
Infective stage:
Filariform larva
Definitive host man:

Man
Habitat

Small Intestine
Mode of Attachment

Oral attachment to
mucosa by sucking
Mode of Nutrition

Sucking and Ingesting of

blood
Laboratory diagnosis
Concentration methods and
Direct Fecal Smear
Treatment

Albendazole, Mebendazole,
or Pyrantel Pamoate
Diagnostic Feature - Egg
In Morula
Difrerences between
Necator Americanus and
Ancylostoma duodonale.
Common Name

N.C.-New world hookworm,

American murderer

A.C.-Old world hookworm

 Etiologic Agent of
N.C-.Necatoriasis,
Uncinariasis
A.C.-Ancylostomiasis, Wakana
disease
Portal of Entry

N.C.-Usually via skin

penetration rather than
ingestion
A.C.
Usually via ingestion
rather than skin
penetration
Thank you for
Listening!!!!!!

By:
Frances Arcel T. Quiblat
4th-year Biology