Systems metabolic effects of a Necator americanus infection in Syrian hamster

Hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) are blood-feeding intestinal nematodes that infect ∼700 million people worldwide. To further our understanding of the systems metabolic response of the mammalian host to hookworm infection, we employed a metabolic profiling strategy involving the combination of ¹H NMR spectroscopic analysis of urine and serum and multivariate data analysis techniques to investigate the biochemical consequences of a N. americanus infection in the hamster. The infection was characterized by altered energy metabolism, consistent with hookworm-induced anemia. Additionally, disturbance of gut microbiotal activity was associated with a N. americanus infection, manifested in the alterations of microbial-mammalian cometabolites, including phenylacetylglycine, p-cresol glucuronide, 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-phenylpropionic acid, hippurate, 4-hydroxyphenylactate, and dimethylamine. The correlation between worm burden and metabolite concentrations also reflected a changed energy metabolism and gut microbial state. Furthermore, elevated levels of urinary 2-aminoadipate was a characteristic feature of the infection, which may be associated with the documented neurological consequences of hookworm infection.