Abstract:
mately 500 million people, with 5.1 billion at risk for acquiring infection worldwide [4].
Hookworm is a blood-feeding intestinal worm, and the
mature larvae ingest the blood, rupture the erythrocytes, and
degrade the hemoglobin by attaching to the gut wall, which
results in iron deficiency anemia. Hookworm changes feeding
sites and during feeding secretes an anticoagulant, resulting in
additional blood loss from the damaged gut wall. The most
damaging effects of hookworm infections include impaired
physical, intellectual, and cognitive development of children,
increased mortality in pregnant women and their infants,
and reduced work capacity of adolescents and adults [5, 6]
