Hookworm genes encoding intestinal excreted-secreted proteins are transcriptionally upregulated in response to the host's immune system.

Hookworms are intestinal parasitic nematodes that chronically infect ~500 million people, with reinfection common even after clearance by drugs. How infecting hookworms successfully overcome host protective mechanisms is unclear, but it may involve hookworm proteins that digest host tissues, or counteract the host's immune system, or both. To find such proteins in the zoonotic hookworm , we identified hookworm genes encoding excreted-secreted (ES) proteins, hookworm genes preferentially expressed in the hookworm intestine, and hookworm genes whose transcription is stimulated by the host immune system.