Foot Showing Hookworm

Hookworm (Ascaris) is a soil-transmitted helminth (parasitic worm). It accounts for a major burden of disease worldwide. Most hookworm infections occur in Africa, the Americas, China and southeast Asia. The main way people become infected with hookworm is through direct skin contact with contaminated soil, typically when walking barefoot. The larvae and adult worms live in the small intestine (small bowel) of an infected person or animal.