Scientists Decode Hookworm Genome
Posted on January 19, 2014
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have decoded the genome of the hookworm, Necator americanus. The parasitic worm enters the human body through the feet and feeds on human blood.
The hookworm is estimated to afflict as many as 700 million of the world's poor. The worm causes severe anemia, which can causes stunted growth and learning problems in children. The research was published here in Nature Genetics.
Makedonka Mitreva, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and of genetics and a member of The Genome Institute at the School of Medicine, says in a statement, "We now have a more complete picture of just how this worm invades the body, begins feeding on the blood and successfully evades the host immune defenses. This information will accelerate development of new diagnostic tools and vaccines against the infection."
The researchers say hookworms are most problematic in areas that lack indoor plumbing. Hookworm eggs are excreted in the feces of infected people. Larvae from hatched hookworm eggs can survive in the soil and enter the human body through the feet. The immature worms migrate through the bloodstream to the lungs and up the trachea. They wind end up in the small intestines after the host coughs and then swallows them. The hookworms then attach themselves to the small intestine and feed on blood.
The scientists also identified a group of molecules that appears to protect the worm from detection by the host immune system.
