Which description best characterizes the cutaneous phase of hookworm zoonosis?

Which description best characterizes the cutaneous phase of hookworm zoonosis?

• A. Larvae migrate under skin and cause itchy rash that often goes away by itself.
• B. They always cause severe intestinal disease in humans.
• C. They do not affect humans.
• D. They immediately cause life-threatening dermatitis.

Answer: (A)

The cutaneous phase is When dog or cat hookworm larvae reach human skin and migrate through the epidermis, triggering a pruritic, serpiginous rash as they wander beneath the surface. Humans are accidental hosts, so the larvae don’t complete their lifecycle and intestinal disease is not the typical outcome. Because the larvae can’t establish long-term infection in people, the rash and itching often improve or resolve on their own over weeks to months, though itching can persist and secondary infections can occur. That’s why the best description is that larvae migrate under the skin and cause an itchy rash that often goes away by itself. The other options imply severe intestinal disease, no effect, or life-threatening dermatitis, which don’t fit this skin-focused, self-limiting phase.

The cutaneous phase is When dog or cat hookworm larvae reach human skin and migrate through the epidermis, triggering a pruritic, serpiginous rash as they wander beneath the surface. Humans are accidental hosts, so the larvae don’t complete their lifecycle and intestinal disease is not the typical outcome. Because the larvae can’t establish long-term infection in people, the rash and itching often improve or resolve on their own over weeks to months, though itching can persist and secondary infections can occur.

That’s why the best description is that larvae migrate under the skin and cause an itchy rash that often goes away by itself. The other options imply severe intestinal disease, no effect, or life-threatening dermatitis, which don’t fit this skin-focused, self-limiting phase.