Observations on the Epidemiology of Ascariasis in a Region of High Hookworm Endemicity

Abstract

In regions of the United States where ascariasis is most prevalent, hookworm (Necator americanus) infections are uncommon or absent. Conversely, in regions where hookworm infection is hyperendemic, as in the lower coastal plain of the southeastern United States, the incidence of ascariasis is generally low. Clay and other types of dense soils which predominate in ascaris areas are known to be unsuitable for the development of infective hookworm larvae and thus constitute one of the principal limiting factors (Augustine and Smillie, 1926; Rickard and Kerr, 1926). The factors responsible for the low incidence of ascariasis in regions where conditions are favorable for hookworm infection have not been well established. The