The answer to this is yes and no. Hook worms are a major parasite of dogs but humans are not their normal hosts.
Dogs that are infected by hookworms have the worms in their intestines and worm larvae pass out into the faeces. When the faeces is on moist ground, the larvae can survive very well. When another dog comes along, the larvae may get onto its paw or foot - they then penetrate the skin and enter the blood. They use the blood to travel to the intestine of the dog to set up a new infection.
If a human being lies on grass infested with living dog hookworm larvae, the larvae again penetrate the skin, but they don't have the right host and cannot get into the blood to get to the gut. They are stuck just under the skin, and then they die within a few hours or days at the most. This sets up an inflammatory reaction in the skin, and maybe an infection and the person gets nasty boils that scab over.
Dogs that are infected by hookworms have the worms in their intestines and worm larvae pass out into the faeces. When the faeces is on moist ground, the larvae can survive very well. When another dog comes along, the larvae may get onto its paw or foot - they then penetrate the skin and enter the blood. They use the blood to travel to the intestine of the dog to set up a new infection.
If a human being lies on grass infested with living dog hookworm larvae, the larvae again penetrate the skin, but they don't have the right host and cannot get into the blood to get to the gut. They are stuck just under the skin, and then they die within a few hours or days at the most. This sets up an inflammatory reaction in the skin, and maybe an infection and the person gets nasty boils that scab over.
