ClinQuiz: Parasitology - Answer 5A
ClinQuiz
5A) Correct. Hookworms, including A. caninum and Ancylostoma braziliense, can cause cutaneous larva migrans in people. Lesions result from the third-stage larvae penetrating the skin after direct contact with a fecal-contaminated environment. The larvae migrate in the skin, creating inflammation and pruritus.12 In most cases, the inflammatory reaction limits the infection to the skin, but A. caninum adults have been recovered endoscopically from the small intestines of people with eosinophilic enteritis, and presumably, these infections occurred from ingestion or skin penetration of larvae from an environment contaminated with feces from infected dogs.13 A routine fecal examination reveals the eggs in infected dogs, and several effective treatments and monthly preventives are available to keep dogs free of hookworms.
