A genus of parasitic hookworms that attach to the intestines of humans and animals, causing severe anemia and malnutrition.
From Greek 'ankylos' (curved, stiff) + 'stoma' (mouth). Parasitologists named this worm genus for the curved shape of the worm's mouth structure, which hooks onto intestinal walls with remarkable tenacity.
Hookworm got its name because of its curved, stiff mouth—'ankylostoma' means bent mouth! These parasites have hooked mouths that literally burrow into your intestinal wall and drink your blood, infecting about 576 million people worldwide, mostly in tropical regions.
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