A genus of Nematoda, the Old World hookworm, the members of which are parasitic in the duodenum. They attach themselves to villi in the mucous membrane, suck blood, and may cause a state of anemia, especially in cases of malnutrition. The eggs are passed with the feces, and the larvae develop in moist soil to become infectious third-stage (filariform) larvae that enter the body of man through the skin and possibly in drinking water; they migrate by the bloodstream to lung alveoli, are carried to bronchi and trachea, swallowed, and passed to the intestine where they mature. See Also: ancylostomiasis, Necator. Syn: Ankylostoma(1).
Origin
[G. ankylos, curved, hooked, + stoma, mouth]
Ancylostoma braziliense
Ancylostoma caninum
Ancylostoma ceylanicum
Ancylostoma duodenale