Veterinary and Public Health Significance of Canine Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) in Nepal: An Integrated One Health Approach

¹Paklihawa Campus, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, Rupandehi, Nepal

*Corresponding Author: Prasanta Thapa Magar, Paklihawa Campus, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, Rupandehi, Nepal, Email: [email protected] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2896-6274

Citation: Thapa Magar P, et al. (2026). Veterinary and Public Health Significance of Canine Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) in Nepal: An Integrated One Health Approach. Mathews J Vet Sci. 10(4):115.

Copyrights: Thapa Magar P, et al. © (2026).

ABSTRACT

Ancylostoma caninum is a highly pathogenic parasite of canines, causing Canine hookworm disease, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions such as Nepal. This hookworm infection in canines leads to major pathological manifestations, including anemia, hemorrhagic enteritis, diarrhea, and growth retardation. Young puppies and immunocompromised humans are at high risk of infection. Human beings are incidental hosts, most often presenting with cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) and, in rare cases, eosinophilic enteritis. Domestic and free-roaming dog populations perpetuate the spread of infections by contaminating the environment with infective larvae shed in canine feces, thereby increasing community health risks. In Nepal, parasitic infections are prevalent; deworming is inadequately practiced, and humans remain in close, unmonitored contact with free-roaming dogs.

This review summarizes biology, life cycle, transmission, clinical effects, epidemiology, diagnostics, anthelmintic resistance, and control measures of A. caninum, as well as its zoonotic potential and human health significance. Limitations of traditional diagnostic methods highlight the importance of molecular methods for species-specific identification and resistance monitoring. An integrated One Health approach, including routine deworming of dogs, improved environmental sanitation, community awareness, and strong intersectoral collaboration, plays a major role in reducing infection rates and limiting zoonotic transmission. This is an evidence-based overview of sustainable interventions that offers structural support to One Health initiatives aiming to mitigate the burden and transmission of Ancylostoma caninum in Nepal.

Keywords: Ancylostoma caninum, Anthelmintic Resistance, Canine Parasite, Cutaneous Larval Migrans, One Health Approach, Zoonotic Helminths

ABBREVIATIONS

AR: Anthelmintic Resistance

CLM: Cutaneous Larva Migrans

FECRT: Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test

ITS: Internal Transcribed Spacer

L1/L2/L3: First/Second/Third-Stage Larvae

PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction

SNP: Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism