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Weapon Unsheathed
30 January 2018

Weapon Unsheathed

Infecting around 10% of the world’s population, Necator americanus is one of the principal hookworm parasites of humans. Hookworm larvae follow a complicated path: having penetrated the host’s skin, they enter the bloodstream, make their way into the lungs, then move up the trachea [windpipe] to be swallowed. Once in the gut, they mature and reproduce, and their eggs are excreted. As they start their journey and enter the skin, the larvae shed an outer layer, or sheath, to reveal a fresh cuticle (shown above, with the sheath in green and cuticle in red). Differences in the chemical composition of the sheath and cuticle suggest that this could be an important step towards infection. Properties of the cuticle may facilitate movement through the host, while the discarded sheath could act as a distraction for the immune system. Understanding this process should yield new insights into the success of this global parasite.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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