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Exploratory study characterizing gastrointestinal physiological changes during controlled human hookworm infection

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This exploratory study using SmartPill technology found that controlled hookworm infection in healthy adults caused a transient drop in duodenal and small-intestinal pH during the acute phase, but no lasting changes in gut motility or transit. The findings, the first of their kind in humans, suggest that the physiological effects of controlled doses of hookworm are subtle and short-lived, offering reassurance for therapeutic trials while highlighting a potential mechanism for symptoms and malabsorption in endemic regions.

Source: American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology

DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00300.2025