Necator americanus

Necator americanus
Common Name: Human Hookworm/New world Hookworm
Disease: Hookworms which may lead to anemia, may also cause growth stunting in
children.
Portal of Entry: Skin
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
Diagnosis: The standard method for diagnosing the presence of hookworm is by
identifying hookworm eggs in a stool sample using a microscope. Because eggs may
be difficult to find in light infections, a concentration procedure is recommended.

Necator americanus
Prevention:
Do not walk barefoot in areas where
hookworm is common and where there
may be fecal contamination of the soil.
Avoid other skin-to-soil contact and avoid
ingesting such soil.
Fecal contamination occurs when people
defecate outdoors or use human feces as
fertilizer.
The infection of others can be prevented
by not defecating outdoors or using
human feces as fertilizer, and by effective
sewage disposal systems.

Signs and Symptoms:

itching and a localized rash
abdominal pain
diarrhea
loss of appetite
weight loss
fatigue
anemia
The physical and cognitive
growth of children can be
affected.

Necator americanus
Treatment:
Albendazole take 400 mg orally once
Mebendazole take 100 mg orally twice a day for
3 days or 500 mg orally once
Pyrantel pamoate take 11 mg/kg (up to a
maximum of 1 g) orally daily for 3 days

Ancylostoma duodenale

Ancylostoma duodenale
Common Name: Human Hookworm/ Old World Hookworm
Disease: Hookworm infection which may lead to anemia.
Portal of Entry: Skin
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
Diagnosis: The standard method for diagnosing the presence of hookworm is by
identifying hookworm eggs in a stool sample using a microscope. Because eggs
may be difficult to find in light infections, a concentration procedure is
recommended.

Ancylostoma duodenale
Prevention:
Do not defecate in the open, but rather in
toilets.
Do not use untreated human excreta or raw
sewage as fertilizer in agriculture
Do not walk barefoot in known infected areas.

Signs and Symptoms:

itchiness and a small rash caused by
an allergic reaction
diarrhea as the hookworms grow in
your intestine
abdominal pain
colic (cramping and excessive crying
in infants)
intestinal cramps
nausea
fever
blood in your stool
appetite loss

Ancylostoma duodenale
Treatment:
Albendazole take 400 mg orally once
Mebendazole take 100 mg orally twice a day for 3 days or 500 mg orally
once
Pyrantel pamoate take 11 mg/kg (up to a maximum of 1 g) orally daily
for 3 days
The treatments for this type of hookworm is similar to Necator
americanus.

Dracunculus medinensis

Dracunculus medinensis
Common Name: Guinea worm, medina worm, serpent worm
Disease: Guinea worm disease, also called (dracunculiasis or dracontiasis)
Portal of Entry: Gastrointestinal Tract
Transmission: The parasite is transmitted to man by drinking raw water
containing infected cyclopses.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis of GWD is made by visual identification of the female
Guinea worm protruding from a skin lesion.
Microscopic identification of larvae is also a method of diagnosis.

Dracunculus medinensis
Prevention:
control of water fleas and early
detection of cases
availability of clean drinking water
is
filtration of water to remove
infected water fleas from suspect
water sources
treatment of contaminated water
supplies with pesticides to kill the
fleas.

Signs and Symptoms:

severe itching
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
dizziness
formation of blisters

Dracunculus medinensis
Treatment:
There is no specific drug treatment for guinea worm disease.
Soaking the site of the blister in a container of water encourages the worm to
emerge. Once it has broken through the skin, gentle traction is applied to the worm,
speeding its emergence, which may take several days or weeks. The worm usually is
wrapped around a piece of gauze or a stick to maintain tension and prevent the
worm from retracting into the body.
Topical antibiotics often are applied to the site of the wound to prevent infection
with another organism during the extraction period.
Aspirin or ibuprofen may be administered to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

Brugia malayi

Brugia malayi
Common Name: Malayan Filaria
Disease: Malayan Filariasis (lymphatic filariasis)
Portal of Entry: Skin
Transmission: The infection spreads from person to person by mosquito bites.
Diagnosis:The standard method for diagnosing active infection is the
identification of microfilariae in a blood smear by microscopic examination
and a thick smear should be made and stained with Giemsa or hematoxylin and
eosin.
For increased sensitivity, concentration techniques can be used.

Brugia malayi
Prevention:
sleep under a mosquito net
wear long sleeves and trousers
use mosquito repellent on
exposed skin between dusk and
dawn

Signs and Symptoms:

swelling and the decreased function of
the lymph system
hardening and thickening of the skin,
which is called elephantiasis
cough
shortness of breath
wheezing

Brugia malayi
Treatment:
Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is the drug registered for use in
this disease, however it is associated with many side effects
Ivermectin and DEC appears to be effective combination as
they act synergistically
Tetracycline antibiotics to kill Wolbachia bacteria
Severely damaged extremities may undergo surgical
decompression of the lymphatic system

Onchocerca volvulus

Onchocerca volvulus
Common Name: African Riverblindness nematodes
Disease: River Blindness (Onchocerciasis)
Portal of Entry: Skin
Transmission: It is transmitted through repeated bites by blackflies
of the genus Simulium.
Diagnosis: Definitive diagnosis is simply done by seeing adult
worms in excised skin nodules, eye lesions, or by finding
microfilariae in skin shavings or punch biopsies of the skin

Onchocerca volvulus
Prevention:
Wearing insect repellant such as N,NDiethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) on
exposed skin
Wearing long sleeves and long pants
during the day when blackflies bite
Wearing permethrin- treated clothing.

Signs and Symptoms:

Skin inflammation that is very itchy and forms
papuleson the skin
nodules in the skin (subcutaneous nodules); scarred,
saggy, or drooping areas of skin,
patchy skin depigmentation (leopard skin),
lymph node inflammation (lymphadenitis),
eye (ocular) lesions,
visual problems (partial or complete blindness),
eosinophilia (unusually high levels of eosinophils in
the blood),
"Sowda" is a term used to describe the severe itching
and skin discoloration (darkening), that is often
confined to one limb.

Onchocerca volvulus
Treatment:
Treatment is done by giving the patient ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug
once or twice per year for about 10-15 years (the life span of adult
worms). This drug is effective in killing the microfilariae but does not
kill the adult worms.
Most clinicians recommend that subcutaneous nodules should be
excised, if possible, thereby removing the adult worms.
Doxycycline damages and kills Wolbachiabacteria that are inside the
microfilariae and adult worms, resulting in the death of microfilariae
and ineffective microfilariae produced by the surviving adult worms.
The use of diethylcarbamazine (a treatment used before ivermectin
became available) is contraindicated. It may cause severe or fatal patient
reactions in individuals with onchocerciasis.