What You Will Problably Never Hear From Your Family Doctor.
Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworm)
There are many species of hookworms that infect mammals. The most important, at least from the human standpoint, are human hookworms, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, which infects an estimated 800,000,000 persons, and the dog and cat hookworms, A. Caninum and A. Brazillinese, respectively. Hookworms average about 10mm in length and live in the small intestine of the host. The males and famle mate, and the female produce eggs that are passed in the feces. Depending on the species, female hookworms can produce up to 10,000-25,000 eggs per day. About two days after passage the hookworms hatches, and the juvenile worm (or lava) develops into and infective stage in about five days. The next host is infected when an infective lava penetrates the host’s skin. The juvenile worms migrates through the host’s body and finally ends up in the host’s small intestine where it grows to sexual maturity. The presence of hookworms can be demonstrated by finding the characteristic eggs in feces; the eggs cannot, however, be differentiated to species.
Ascaris lumbricoides
Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the largest and most common parasite found in humans. The adult females of this species can measure up to 18 inches long (males are generally shorter), and it is estimated that 25% of the world’s population is infected with this nematode. The adult worms live in the small intestine and eggs are passed in the feces. A single female can produce up to 200,000 each day.
Schistosomes or blood flukes;
The schistosomes are unusual in the the sexes are separated(they are dioecious), they reside in the blood vessels of the definitive host, and there are no second intermediate hosts in their life cycles. There are a number of species of schistosomes that can infect humans, but most human infection are caused by one of the three following species: Schistosoma mansoni; S. Heematobium; S. Japonicum.