Hookworm (Ancylostoma) was discovered by Dubini in Italy in 1834. Refers to “tunnel disease” found among the miners, brickmakers, pitman and other laborers during the construction of St. Gotthard tunnel, but it is unclear if the reference is solely due to the tunnel or the clinical characteristics of the disease.

Where did hookworm come from?

Hookworm infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. One kind of hookworm can also be transmitted through the ingestion of larvae. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms.

How long has hookworm been around?

“Hookworm was rampant in the United States more than 100 years ago. It thrived in the poor south, where many families could not afford proper outhouses and sewer systems were rare,” popular news source NPR reported in a recent article.