Human helminth care manual: Difference between revisions

It is possible to lose hookworms to diarrhoea/diarrhea, but only if this is very severe, or severe and prolonged, i.e., lasting for several weeks. (More detail [https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/helminthictherapy/conversations/messages/10756 here].) People who get diarrhoea/diarrhea as a side effect following their first inoculation with hookworms don't lose all their worms as as result of this, and hookworms are able to withstand the typical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonoscopy#Preparation colonoscopy prep] using products such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), Macrogol, Colyte, Picosalax, Bisacodyl, phospho soda, sodium picosulfate, or sodium phosphate and/or magnesium citrate.

It would seem logical to assume that hookworms might be better able to resist being flushed out after the point at which they attach to the gut wall, which is towards the end of the third week, post inoculation.

While adult hookworms do move around to feed, and are therefore theoretically more likely to be lost if diarrhoea/ diarrhea strikes while they are on the move, this is unlikely to lead to any significant loss. So, as long as laxatives are taken in the recommended amounts, they should not pose a problem for hookworms.

It is unlikely that laxatives would dislodge whipworms once these are mature and embedded in the colonic mucosa, but laxatives could potentially flush them out before this, especially around 21-22 days post inoculation. It may therefore be best to avoid the use of laxatives around this time. After 28 days, they should not be affected at all.