Hookworm larvae love warm, damp, sandy soil! If a Hookworm infested dog defecates on a beach the eggs soon hatch and the larvae enter the sand. When a human lies on such a spot the Hookworm larva can penetrate the intact skin just as it happens in the dog or cat. Since we are an unnatural host, the larva never makes it to the intestine to become blood-sucking adults. They just move around a bit under the skin, die and cause a nasty inflammatory reaction. What’s result? We get itchy little red bumps on our skin which may form scabs. In the old days, when houses had crawl spaces under them, the pets would often defecate under the house. When the plumber worked on the piping under the house he soon found little itchy bites all over his skin. For this reason, human infection is sometimes called the "plumbers itch". Other names include "creeping eruption" or the more scientific name "cutaneous larva migrans". A good reason for keeping dogs off beaches and out of sand boxes and gardening areas.

Credit: http://www.dr-dan.com

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