As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further relevant information on causes of Parasitic Conditions may be found in:
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Both forms of hookworm disease are transmitted to humans through direct skin penetration (usually in the foot) by hookworm larvae in soil contaminated with feces containing hookworm ova. These ova develop into infectious larvae in 1 to 3 days. Larvae travel through the lymphatics to the pulmonary capillaries, where they penetrate alveoli and move up the bronchial tree to the trachea and epiglottis, where they're swallowed and enter the GI tract. When they reach the small intestine, they mature, attach to the jejunal mucosa, and suck blood, oxygen, and glucose from the intestinal wall. These mature worms then deposit ova, which are excreted in the stool, starting the cycle anew. Hookworm larvae mature in approximately 5 to 6 weeks.
Hookworm disease, affecting billions of people worldwide, is most common in moist tropical and subtropical regions. There's little risk of aquiring hookworm disease in the United States because of advances in sanitization and waste control.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The cause of MF is unknown. Most persons with MF have it for years and it can lead to death, but this is unusual.
In the United States, MF strikes more than 1,000 people of all races annually; most are between ages 40 and 60.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Mites can live their entire life cycles in the skin of humans, causing chronic infection. (The adult mite can survive without a human host for only 2 or 3 days.) The female mite burrows into the skin to lay her eggs, from which larvae emerge to copulate and then reburrow under the skin. (See Scabies: Cause and effect, page 1242.)
Scabies occurs worldwide, primarily in environments marked by overcrowding and poor hygiene, and can be endemic.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Mites can live their entire life cycles in the skin of humans, causing chronic infection. The female mite burrows into the skin to lay her eggs, from which larvae emerge to copulate and then reburrow under the skin.
Transmission of scabies occurs through skin or sexual contact. The adult mite can survive without a human host for only 2 to 3 days.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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