Abstract
Hookworm infection is still prevalent in southern Thailand despite control measures. Hookworm eggs submerged for an extended period under water from rainfall or in latrines may not survive, but they may recover their ability to develop into infective larvae when exposed to atmospheric air. This study examined the survival of the hookworm eggs in stool suspension and the restoration of development capability after prolonged storage. In stool mass, eggs developed normally and yielded infective filariform larvae (FL) in 7 days. On the contrary, in 1:10 stool suspension, hookworm eggs were found to remain at the 4–8 cell stage; degenerated eggs were observed after 15 days of storage, and the number of degenerated eggs reached 80 % on day 30. Aeration of the suspension, or transferring to a Petri dish or agar plate, restored the capacity of eggs stored for up to 15 days to develop into FL; thereafter, the capacity declined sharply. Retardation of egg development under water or in stool suspension may be due to a lack of atmospheric air. Use of “night soil” from latrines as fertilizer may be one factor in maintaining hookworm transmission, as worm eggs can undergo normal development upon exposure to atmospheric air.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anamnart W, Pattanawongsa A, Intapan PM, Maleewong W (2010) Factors affecting recovery of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae: an approach to a newly modified formalin-ether concentration technique for diagnosis of strongyloidiasis. J Clin Microbiol 48:97–100. doi:10.1128/JCM.01613-09
Anamnart W, Pattanawongsa A, Intapan PM, Morakote N, Janwan P, Maleewong W (2013) Detrimental effect of water submersion of stools on development of Strongyloides stercoralis. PLoS One 8:e82339. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082339
Bethony J, Brooker S, Albonico M, Geiger SM, Loukas A, Diemert D, Hotez PJ (2006) Soil-transmitted helminth infections: ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm. Lancet 367:1521–1532. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68653-4
Chongsuvivatwong V, Pas-Ong S, Ngoathammatasna W, McNeil D, Vithsupakorn K, Bridhikitti V, Jongsuksuntigul P, Jeradit C (1994) Evaluation of hookworm control program in southern Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 25:745–751
de Silva NR, Brooker S, Hotez PJ, Montresor A, Engels D, Savioli L (2003) Soil-transmitted helminth infections: updating the global picture. Trends Parasitol 19:547–551. doi:10.1016/j.pt.2003.10.002
Hotez PJ, Brooker S, Bethony JM, Bottazzi ME, Loukas A, Xiao S (2004) Hookworm infection. N Engl J Med 351:799–807. doi:10.1056/NEJMra032492
Marcus AD, Higgins DP, Gray R (2014) Epidemiology of hookworm (Uncinaria sanguinis) infection in free-ranging Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pups. Parasitol Res 113:3341–3353. doi:10.1007/s00436-014-3997-3
Pawlowski ZS, Schad GA, Stott GJ (1991) Hookworm infection and anaemia: approaches to prevention and control. WHO, Geneva
Phosuk I, Intapan PM, Thanchomnang T, Sanpool O, Janwan P, Laummaunwai P, Aamnart W, Morakote N, Maleewong W (2013) Molecular detection of Ancylostoma duodenale, Ancylostoma ceylanicum, and Necator americanus in humans in northeastern and southern Thailand. Korean J Parasitol 51:747–749. doi:10.3347/kjp.2013.51.6.747
Piammongkol S, Chongsuvivatwong V, Williams G, Pornpatkul M (2006) The prevalence and determinants of iron deficiency anemia in rural Thai-Muslim pregnant women in Pattani Province. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 37:553–558
Pullan RL, Smith JL, Jasrasaria R, Brooker SJ (2014) Global numbers of infection and disease burden of soil transmitted helminth infections in 2010. Parasit Vectors 7:37. doi:10.1186/1756-3305-7-37
Schneider B, Jariwala AR, Periago MV, Gazzinelli MF, Bose SN, Hotez PJ, Diemert DJ, Bethony JM (2011) A history of hookworm vaccine development. Hum Vaccin 7:1234–1244. doi:10.4161/hv.7.11.18443
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by grants from: the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission through the Health Cluster (SHep-GMS) Thailand, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University (grant number TR57201), Post-Doctoral Training Program of Graduate School and Khon Kaen University grant, Khon Kaen University and the TRF Senior Research Scholar program, the Thailand Research Fund (grant number RTA5880001). We thank Kanya Nongkan and Suppalak Songkied for their technical assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethics approval
Patients provided written informed consent to participate in this study. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Clearance Committee on Human Rights Related to Research Involving Human Subjects, Walailak University (HE number 15/014).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Na-Ek, P., Sanpool, O., Jongthawin, J. et al. Restoration of hookworm egg development after prolonged storage in stool suspension. Parasitol Res 115, 2817–2823 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5031-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5031-4