Hookworms are the popular term for a group of strongylid parasites that reside in animals’ small intestines, primarily cats and dogs. They are intestinal parasites of humans and animals that receive their name from the hook-like mouthparts they attach to the intestinal wall. The majority of persons infected with hookworms do not exhibit any symptoms of illness, especially initially. However, if the disease worsens, it might hurt your health.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

Hookworm eggs are passed in an infected person’s feces. If an infected individual defecates outside or their feces are used as fertilizer, eggs are deposited on the soil. Although hookworm eggs are discharged in fecal matter, hookworms are seldom seen in animal feces due to their tiny size. They can then develop and hatch, resulting in the release of larvae. The larvae develop into a form that can pierce human skin. 

What Hookworms Look Like

Hookworms are curved like hooks, and their length is about the same as the diameter of a penny. They are distinguished by their enormous buccal cavity, or mouth, which contains two pairs of teeth. These teeth allow the parasite to adhere to the small intestine wall, where it may subsequently consume blood.

Hookworms are white as adults. They are semitransparent when alive, and if the stomach is full of blood, they have a center reddish, longitudinal stripe on them.

The head is somewhat twisted in proportion to the rest of the body, producing a hook shape – therefore the name. The hook is located in the front of the body. They have two sets of teeth and a well-developed mouth. Males are around 0.5 mm in size, but females are generally longer and stouter. Males have a substantial copulatory bursa posteriorly, which helps them catch the lining of the intestinal wall.