The Effect of a Synthetic Corticosteroid upon the Susceptibility of Dogs to Infection with the Human Hookworm, Necator americanus

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Abstract
Experimental infections by subcutaneous inoculation of two groups of pups, aged 6 to 9 weeks, with various doses of N. americanus infective larvae show that pups of this age are susceptible to infection with this worm with a low level of successful worm establishment as measured by the worm burdens at necropsy. There is suggestive evidence that the administration of massive doses of methyl prednisolone to the pups of the treated group rendered many of these animals more susceptible to successful worm establishment from the infection, although statistical analyses of various groupings of the results showed that there were no significant differences between any of the groups. In both prednisolone-treated and control dogs, the third parasitic molt occurs before the 8th day after infection and the fourth molt between 21 and 28 days; genital development in the immature adult worm commences on the 32nd day; sexually mature male and female worms were found after the 42nd day; and ova, which failed to embryonate properly, were found in the uteri of the female worms after the 52nd day.