June 28, 1985Science
Predisposition to Hookworm Infection in Humans
Authors
Discussion
Loading...
Member takes
Implication
Longitudinal analysis reveals individual predisposition to heavy hookworm reinfection in villagers, highlighting the economic potential of targeted chemotherapy over mass treatment.
Key Points
- To determine whether aggregated hookworm burdens in humans stem from individual predisposition rather than random chance following anthelmintic therapy.
- Monitored individual post-treatment patterns of hookworm reinfection among 112 villagers in an endemic region of West Bengal.
- Quantified individual reinfection rates to evaluate whether parasite aggregation re-established non-randomly after clearance.
- Post-treatment reinfection patterns provided quantitative evidence that specific individuals are consistently predisposed to heavy worm burdens.
- Helminth distribution remained aggregated within a minority of the population, supporting the economic utility of selective rather than mass chemotherapy.
Cite This Study
Schad et al. (1985) studied this question.