Uncinariasis

Parasitic helminth infections are more common than is known and diagnosed in the medical clinic. It is estimated that a quarter of the world's population is at risk for this type of disease acquired primarily through contact with soil contaminated by feces. One of these helminth parasitoses is uncinariasis, a disease also known as ancylostomiasis, hookworm disease, necatoriasis, miners' anaemia (in past centuries) or tropical anaemia. The rates of affected people are high in areas of geographical distribution of the globe, including warm tropical and subtropical countries, and are higher in those where the population and poverty levels are high, which represents an economic and social burden for its wide variety of medical and surgical conditions. Despite the existence of effective, safe and free treatments against this parasitosis in endemic countries, only half of the population at risk receive them. This book describes the historical background, morphological characteristics, life cycle, pathology and diagnosis of this disease caused by these serrated parasitic worms.