Hookworm

Hookworm - A Zoonotic Disease

Hookworm misdiagnosed as a viral wart disease.

Recently my daughter developed a couple of dots on her stomach that looked very unusual. Over a period of 3-4 days this row of dots continued to lengthen approximately 1 cm a day, forming a wiggly line.

My first thought was, this looks like a type of worm that dogs can carry? I remembered studying this in Animal Technology but could not remember which worm it might be.

I decided I would take my daughter to the doctor to see what he thought it was. After examining the mystery illness he claimed that it was a viral wart disease and to my amazement instructed me to apply nail polish to the area. He assured me that the warts would disappear within 6 weeks of applying the nail polish. I questioned the doctor about the unusual treatment and asked him if it might possibly be a worm that dogs carry? He said it wasn’t.......!!

I left the surgery and went to do some homework. I phoned a vet friend and asked her what she thought it might be. She suggested it could be hookworm. I searched on-line and found the website at Centre for Disease Control & Prevention for animal related diseases at http://www.cdc.gov a comprehensive disease information site.

I discovered that hookworms live in the intestines of dogs and cats that pass these worms through their faeces. Hook worms live in the soil for a few days where people are exposed to them when playing or working in contaminated sand or soil. The larvae then migrate under a person’s skin to cause infection and a rash.

The conclusion to the hookworm story is that I successfully wormed my daughter with an anthelmintic treatment for hook worm, the rash disappeared and she was happy again.

The Hookworm diagnosis has now been confirmed by Veterinary and Medical Practitioners in Parasitology, Microbiology and Infectious diseases. There are several website which provide information on this and related subjects. Try http://www.combantrin.com.au where you’ll find easy to read information on thread worm, hook worm, round worm and Strongyloides, plus hydatids and links to more in depth information.

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