Recent epidemiologic surveys have determined that Ancylostoma ceylanicum is the second most common hookworm species infecting humans in Asia. A ceylanicum was originally found in humans in such low numbers as not to cause clinical concern. However, where A ceylanicum is endemic in dogs and cats, its prevalence in humans is rising.
Experimental infection of human volunteers with A ceylanicum produced skin lesions in those infected cutaneously and abdominal symptoms (eg, GI discomfort, flatulence, diarrhea) in all who developed a patent infection. Natural infection is also under investigation; in some human patients, a single visualized and positively identified A ceylanicum worm was implicated as the cause of symptoms (eg, abdominal pain, nausea, poor appetite). As with other zoonoses and public health concerns, it is important to take a One Health approach to controlling A ceylanicum by combining chemotherapeutic interventions with improved sanitation. This is particularly important in communities where the parasite is endemic and humans live in close contact with dog and cat reservoirs (eg, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, South Africa).
