hookworm disease [AS, hok + wyrm + Gk, dis, not; Fr, aise, ease] , a roundworm infestation that may involve either of two important intestinal parasites of humans, Ancylostoma duodenale or Necator americanus. Both forms of the disease, ancylostomiasis and necatoriasis, are characterized by abdominal pain, in heavy infection, and iron deficiency anemia. The worm enters the human body as a larva by penetrating the skin, traveling to the lungs via the circulatory system, and ascending the respiratory tract to the pharynx, where it is swallowed. In the intestinal tract the hookworm attaches its mouth to the mucosa and subsists on the blood of the host. Hookworm is believed to infect 800 million people globally. It is treated with cryotherapy when still in the skin. Albendazole is effective against both the intestinal stages and skin infestation.
