AN INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENCE AND INTENSITY OF INFESTATION OF HOOKWORM IN MISSISSIPPI*

Abstract

44,380 specimens of feces from white persons and 6,441 specimens from negroes were examined. In whites the incidence in [male][male] was 22.9% and in [female][male] 16.9%, the greatest incidence in both sexes being 5-9 yrs. inclusive. The av. intensity of infestation was 2,100 eggs per gm. of feces for [female][female] and 1,800 eggs per gm. for [female][female]. The presence of hookworm was demonstrated in 4,341 of the 12,894 families studied. All of the infested individuals were found in less than 1/2 of the total population examined. There was an av. of 1,610 eggs per gm. of feces when only one member of a family had hookworm. Where 7 or more members of a family were infested the av. egg-count per gm. of feces was 7,977. The climatological conditions are suitable for the propagation of hookworm larvae in all sections of Mississippi, especially in the south. There is a striking relationship between the % of sand in the soil and the incidence of hookworm. In the counties studied there were probably 86,000 persons infested with hookworm, a majority of whom reside in S. Mississippi. An incidence of 1.4% was found for the Negro population.