How is Hookworm transmitted?

How is Hookworm transmitted?

• A. Through feces and skin penetration
• B. Through drinking contaminated water
• C. Through inhalation
• D. Through milk

Answer: (A)

Hookworms infect hosts primarily through larvae in contaminated soil that penetrate the skin. Infected animals shed eggs in feces; these eggs hatch into larvae in warm, moist soil, and when a dog (or person) walks or rests on that ground, the larvae can burrow through the skin and begin their migration to the intestines. This combination—feces as the source and skin as the entry route—best captures how infection occurs. Other routes like drinking water, inhalation, or milk aren’t how hookworms typically spread.

Hookworms infect hosts primarily through larvae in contaminated soil that penetrate the skin. Infected animals shed eggs in feces; these eggs hatch into larvae in warm, moist soil, and when a dog (or person) walks or rests on that ground, the larvae can burrow through the skin and begin their migration to the intestines. This combination—feces as the source and skin as the entry route—best captures how infection occurs. Other routes like drinking water, inhalation, or milk aren’t how hookworms typically spread.