[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Nematodes](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/nematodes/) › Ancylostoma braziliense / Ancylostoma caninum

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Nematodes](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/nematodes/)

# Ancylostoma braziliense / Ancylostoma caninum

- Parasite
- Exam priority: medium

A dog and cat hookworm. Its larva enters the skin on sandy beaches and leaves a red, winding, very itchy track.

Updated 2026-11-01

Also called: cutaneous larva migrans, dog and cat hookworm, creeping eruption

## Key points

- Itchy serpiginous track after walking barefoot on a beach.
- Humans are a dead-end host: the larva stays in the epidermis.
- Clinical diagnosis, no serology.
- Oral ivermectin or albendazole.
- Distinguish from larva currens (Strongyloides), which moves much faster.

## At a glance

**Shape**
Larva that leaves a serpiginous track in the epidermis

**Family**
Ancylostomatidae

**Type**
Dog and cat nematode (zoonotic hookworm)

**Size**
Filariform larva under 1 mm

## Morphology

- Humans harbour only filariform larvae in the epidermis.
- The eggs, in dog and cat faeces, look like those of human hookworms.
- Biopsy shows an eosinophilic infiltrate; the larva is rarely seen.

## Transmission

- Skin contact with moist sand or soil contaminated with dog or cat faeces.
- Walking barefoot, sitting or lying on beach sand and yards.
- Not spread between people.

**Reservoir:** Dogs and cats; Moist sand and soil

### Isolation precautions

What the care team adds to standard precautions.

- Standard

## Life cycle

- Dogs and cats pass eggs in faeces onto moist sand or soil.
- The eggs hatch in 1–2 days and give infective filariform larvae in 5–10 days.
- In the dog, the larva penetrates skin, passes through the lung and matures in the gut.
- In humans the larva penetrates skin but cannot go on: it is trapped in the epidermis.
- There it moves millimetres to a few centimetres a day, leaving a raised, red, very itchy track.
- Untreated, it dies in weeks to months; A. caninum sometimes causes eosinophilic enteritis.

## Virulence factors

- Proteolytic enzymes let it penetrate skin.
- In humans it cannot cross the basement membrane, so it stays in the epidermis.
- The inflammatory reaction to the larva causes the intense itch.

## Diseases it causes

- Cutaneous larva migrans (creeping eruption) [Cutaneous larva migrans →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/cutaneous-larva-migrans/)

## Clinical picture

- Red, raised, serpiginous track on the feet, buttocks or hands.
- Intense itch, sometimes vesicles or bullae.
- Bacterial superinfection from scratching.
- Rarely, cough and eosinophilia from lung passage.

## Diagnosis

- Clinical diagnosis from the lesion and a history of contact with sand.
- No serology is available.
- Biopsy is not recommended because the larva is almost never found.

## Treatment

Oral antiparasitics (ivermectin or albendazole); topical thiabendazole is an alternative. Antibiotics for superinfection.

Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.

In Pharmacology:

- [Ivermectin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/ivermectin/)
- [Albendazole](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/albendazole/)

## Prevention

- Wear shoes on beaches and in yards.
- Sit on towels or chairs, not directly on the sand.
- Deworm dogs and cats and keep them from defecating on beaches.
- Pick up pet faeces.

## In Colombia

Common on Caribbean and Pacific beaches and in warm areas with free-roaming dogs; general practitioners often see it in tourists and children.

## Memory aid

A map on the foot after the beach: the dog's larva draws its route under the skin because it can't find the exit.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why does the A. braziliense larva stay in the human epidermis?

Because it cannot cross the basement membrane and cannot complete its cycle in humans.

## How is cutaneous larva migrans diagnosed?

Clinically, from the serpiginous track and a history of contact with contaminated sand or soil.

## How does it differ from Strongyloides larva currens?

Larva currens moves very fast, usually on the buttocks and perineum; cutaneous larva migrans moves slowly, usually on the feet.

## Which measure prevents cutaneous larva migrans at the beach?

Wearing shoes and not lying directly on sand where dogs or cats defecate.

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## Related

- [Necator americanus / Ancylostoma duodenale](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/necator-americanus-ancylostoma-duodenale/)
- [Toxocara canis / Toxocara cati](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/toxocara-canis-toxocara-cati/)
- [Strongyloides stercoralis](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/strongyloides-stercoralis/)

## Related conditions

- [Cutaneous larva migrans](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/cutaneous-larva-migrans/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

[← Back to the group: Nematodes](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/nematodes/)

Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [CDC - DPDx - Zoonotic Hookworm](https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/zoonotichookworm/index.html) (CDC, 2019); Parasitosis humanas (Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), 2019).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/ancylostoma-braziliense-ancylostoma-caninum/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/ancylostoma-braziliense-ancylostoma-caninum/