Hookworm News and Research

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Hookworm infections in humans are caused by two important species of nematode parasites (a type of a roundworm), Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus.

Pet dogs across the USA are becoming increasingly resistant to benzimidazole treatment

In a recent study published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers in the United States of America (USA) and Canada found molecular evidence that the parasitic hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum) in pet dogs across the USA are becoming increasingly resistant to benzimidazole, a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug used for infection control.

22 Mar 2023

Q&A: COVID-19 pandemic has widened gender inequities in health

Health inequalities facing women and girls, already stark before the onset of COVID-19, have widened glaringly during the pandemic. Lockdowns restricted access to sexual and reproductive health services, increased violence against women, and interrupted girls’ education.

9 May 2022

LJI researchers uncover new drug target for severe asthma, lung fibrosis

If you've ever struggled to breathe, you've had a moment of hypoxia-;a lack of oxygen. Hypoxia can have long-term effects. In fact, doctors describe hypoxia as an "initial insult."

9 May 2022

Researchers receive NIH grants to develop new treatments for neglected tropical diseases

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling more than $5.5 million to develop new treatments for two types of devastating parasitic infections common in sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America: river blindness and intestinal worm infections.

22 Dec 2021

Harnessing the genetics of hookworms to develop next generation of PPE for combat troops

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a grant to develop the next generation of personal protective equipment (PPE) for combat troops.

30 Oct 2021

UQ-developed oral vaccine marks a leap forward in the battle against hookworm infections

There's been a significant breakthrough in the development of a vaccine to prevent hookworm infection – a parasite which causes serious disease in tens of millions of people globally.

26 Oct 2021

Anti-parasitic drug prevents pancreatic cancer's initiation, progression and metastasis in mice

As the third-most lethal cancer in the United States, with only a 1% five-year survival rate for people with its most aggressive form, pancreatic cancer has long been a target of researchers who search for ways to slow or stop its growth and spread.

3 Aug 2021

Studies provide new evidence of impact of drug price hikes on U.S. patients

Two recent studies led by researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School add new evidence to the impact of how drug price increases affect U.S. patients and the overall cost of health care.

21 Jun 2021

Rising cost of antiparasitic drugs in U.S increases patient costs, may reduce quality of care

New study finds the skyrocketing cost of drugs in U.S. used to treat hookworm and other soil-transmitted parasites increases patient costs, suggests decreased quality of care.

10 Mar 2021

Research shows intestinal parasite infestations reduce COVID-19 severity

Now, new research out of Mekelle, Ethiopia, examines the role of parasitic infestation on the prognosis of COVID-19. The research paper, which appears on the preprint server medRxiv, shows that intestinal parasitosis is protective against severe COVID-19.

4 Feb 2021

Study reveals key role of IL-33 signaling molecule in parasite infections, other health conditions

De'Broski Herbert has a philosophy that's guided his career researching helminths, or parasitic worms, and their interaction with their hosts' immune systems: "Follow the worm."

15 Nov 2020

Johns Hopkins researchers design tiny, star-shaped microdevices to deliver drugs

Inspired by a parasitic worm that digs its sharp teeth into its host's intestines, Johns Hopkins researchers have designed tiny, star-shaped microdevices that can latch onto intestinal mucosa and release drugs into the body.

3 Nov 2020

PATH wins grant to develop oral treatment option for soil-transmitted helminth infections

PATH announced today they received a grant from Japan's Global Health Innovative Technology Fund to develop a new oral treatment option for soil-transmitted helminth infections.

1 Oct 2020

UC Riverside scientist to shed light on worm infections that escape detection by immune systems

It's likely that billions of people are unaware they have been infected with parasitic worms. A UC Riverside scientist has won $1.8 million to try and understand why.

20 Jul 2020

Parasitic worms could offer new treatment hope for MS patients

Parasitic worms could offer a new treatment hope for patients suffering from the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, according to experts from the University of Nottingham.

18 Jun 2020

New study provides better understanding on safety of deworming programs

A new study has identified no major differences between the microbiomes of people infected with roundworm or hookworm and uninfected peers.

23 Apr 2019

Researchers discover 'taste bud cells' in mice lungs after severe bout of flu

Most people who weather an infection with influenza fully recover after a week or two. But for some, a severe case of the flu can actually reshape the architecture of their lungs and forever compromise their respiratory function.

29 Mar 2019

Research identifies cell signaling pathways related to endocannabinoid system in worms

Like mammals, parasitic worms have an endocannabinoid system that may help the worm and the hosts it infects survive by reducing pain and inflammation in the host, according to a "wild" new discovery by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of California, Riverside.

23 Aug 2018

Researchers publish new paper on developing vaccine candidates for Helminthic parasites

Helminthic parasites, like hookworm and liver flukes (schistosomiasis), affect an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. Infection from hookworm and schistosomiasis result in a combined loss of as much as 92 million disability-adjusted life years annually.

17 Aug 2018

Researchers identify role of infection-fighting cells in inflamed and damaged tissue

Hookworms infect nearly 430 million people in the world, mostly in countries where sanitation is poor, and people often walk barefoot.

7 Aug 2018