Anemia due to loss of blood, particularly if diet is deficient. Persons with chronic hookworm disease are debilitated. Management Hookworm disease of man is best controlled by sanitation involving the proper disposal of human feces. Treatment of infected individuals and proper diets to correct anemia. Protective measures such as wearing of shoes in areas where hookworm is endemic.
Diagnosis is by demonstration of hookworm eggs or the worms themselves in feces.
Larvae can be confused with those of Strongyloides. The tail of hookworms is pointed while that of Strongyloides is notched. Most species are rather stout, and the anterior end is curved dorsad, giving the worm a hooklike appearance. The buccal capsule is large and heavily sclerotized and usually is armed with cutting plates, teeth, lancets, or a dorsal cone. A dorsal gutter extends along the middorsal wall of the buccal capsule, emptying the dorsal esophageal gland into it.