Ancylostoma caninum, commonly Dog hookworm, is a parasitic nematode

Nematode

The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...

 hookworm

Hookworm

The hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...

 that infects dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

s. The larval stage penetrates the skin and makes it way through the circulatory system into the digestive tract, where adult forms lay eggs that are passed through the feces. Common symptoms include anemia

Anemia

Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...

 and diarrhea

Diarrhea

Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...

. Newborn pups can die of hemorrhaging from their intestines caused by massive numbers of feeding hookworms. A. braziliense

Ancylostoma braziliense

Ancylostoma braziliense is a species of Ancylostoma.It can cause creeping eruption....

and Uncinaria stenocephala

Uncinaria stenocephala

Uncinaria stenocephala is one of the most common nematode parasites targeting dogs, cats, and foxes as well as humans.Common name: The Northern hookworm of dogs.-Life cycle:...

are different species of hookworm which can infect dogs and cause similar symptoms.

The parasite can also affect humans. It occasionally develops into an adult to cause eosinophilic enteritis in people, and their invasive larvae can cause an itchy rash called cutaneous larva migrans

Cutaneous larva migrans

Cutaneous larva migrans is a skin disease in humans, caused by the larvae of various nematode parasites of the hookworm family...

. Vaccination

Vaccination

Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...

may soon be possible.