A study of hookworm infection in Navy and Marine personnel on Guam.

Summary 1.  The examination of 1241 shore-based Navy personnel on Guam (Group I) showed a hookworm incidence of 5.7 per cent. Most of these infections were light, and many were evidently residual infections from the southern part of the United States. Some heavy infections were found, however, and some Ancylostoma were seen. Both facts are indications that some of the worms were acquired on Guam. 2.  The examination of 742 Leyte-returned marines (Group II) showed a hookworm incidence of 34.1 per cent. Again, many of the infections were light, but the percentage showing more than 5,000 eggs per gram of feces was 5 times more than that of Group I. From worm count data, it is estimated that 3 in 10 of the marines examined had Ancylostoma.