Justin Jannati – Biology 2015 (Dental Medicine)

Exercise No 8 - The Cestoda or Tapeworms

General Characteristics of Nematodes

Species with medical importance are either aquatic or terrestrial. Aquatic leeches are
injurious to humans. 1.5mm – 1m.

They suck blood, take in drinking water and infest upper respiratory or digestive
passaged. At times they also invade the vagina, urethra, and eyes.

Viviporous – means quick born

Worm covered with cuticle having no external cilia.
Pseudocoelum functions as a hydrostatic skeleton.

- They have variously sized bodies with a tough cuticle,

- Suckers at both ends,
- Hard jaws
- A muscular pharynx.

- Male reproductive system

o Situated in the posterior third of the body as a single coiled tube
o One Testis
o Vas deferns
o Seminal vesicle and a ejaculatory ducts
o Spicule
- Female reproductive system
o Single or bi-tubes differentiated into an ovary
o Oviduct
o Uterus
o Ovejector and
o Vagina
o The ovum passes from the ovary into the oviduct where it is fertilized.
A shell forms immediately after fertilization separating the membrane
from the inner layer of the shell.
- Excretory System
o Two lateral canals that lie in the lateral longitudinal cords.
o Nematodes possess longitudinal muscles which produce sinuous
movements
- Nervous System -
- Respiratory System – don’t have one
- Blood system – don’t have one
- Digestive Systm

Trichnea Spiralis

Intermediate Host - none

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Terminate Host - Human

Morphology
Adult worm
 Male adult worm measures around 1.50mm and female about 3.5mm
 They have slender anterior ends with small non-papilated mouths
 A posterior end is bluntly rounded in female and ventrally curved by two lobular
caudal appendages in the male.
 Single ovary with vulva in the anterior fifth of the female.
 Long narrow digestive tract.
Larva
- has a spear like tip at its anterior end.
- Measure around 900 – 1300 micrometers.
- The mature encysted larva has a digestive tract similar to that of an adult and
although the reproductive organs are not fully developed, it is often possible
to differentiate sexes.

Epidemiology - Due to encysting, they cause inflammation and are absorbed; Muscles
mostly parasitized are diaphragmatic, nuchal, biceps, and gastrocnemius.

Diagnosis – muscle biopsy for coiled larvae. Also, you can do blood test or at the
diarrheal stage, adult and larvae may be found in the faeces.

Life Cycle

1. Trichinellosis is acquired by ingesting meat containing cysts (encysted larvae)

of Trichinella. Infective larvae are ingested by humans, usually in pork, where
they pass to the upper small intestine.
2. After digestion and exposure to gastric acid and pepsin, the larvae are released
from the cysts and invade the small bowel mucosa The sexes are
differentiated at this point into male and female. The male are dislodged from
the mucosa whereas the female increase in size and burrow deeply into the
mucosa of the intestinal villi.
3. Here they develop into adult worms (female 2.2 mm in length, males 1.2
mm; life span in the small bowel: 4 weeks). After 1 week, the females release
larvae
4. These migrate to the striated muscles where they burrow into the muscle fibers
by means of spear shaped apparatus at the anterior end and soon after encyst
. Ingestion of the encysted larvae perpetuates the cycle.
5. The Larva grows rapidly in the muscle and coils. The Larva is enclosed in a blunt,
ellipsoidal, lemon shaped capsule of muscle fiber which is composed of an inner
mantle of basophilic muscle. They soon after calcify and whilst newly formed
cysts are invisible to the naked eye, they appear as fine opaque granules when
calcified.
6. The adult female worm then dies after passing her larvae and is digested and/ or
passed out of the intestine.

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Due to encysting, they cause inflammation and are absorbed; Muscles mostly parasitized
are diaphragmatic, nuchal, biceps, and gastrocnemius.

Rats and rodents are primarily responsible for maintaining the endemicity of this
infection. Carnivorous/omnivorous animals, such as pigs or bears, feed on infected
rodents or meat from other animals. Different animal hosts are implicated in the life
cycle of the different species of Trichinella. Humans are accidentally infected when
eating improperly processed meat of these carnivorous animals (or eating food
contaminated with such meat).

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Trichocephalus trichiurus

Intermediate Host - none

Terminate Host – Humans but can also be monkeys and hogs.

Epidemiology - The patient complains of dysentery (blood and mucus in stool together
with tenesmus). Rectal prolapse is also possible. Patient also complains of

Morphology - The worm is divided into a thin whip-like anterior part measuring 3/5 of
the worm and a thick fleshy posterior part of 2/5 the length.

Male: The male measures 3-4.5 cm in length. Its posterior end is coiled and possesses a
single cubicle.

Female: The female measures 4-5 cm in length. Its posterior end is straight

Infective stage and mode of infection

Infection is by ingestion of eggs containing larvae with contaminated raw vegetables.

Diagnosis

Finding of characteristic eggs. The egg of trichuris is barrel-shaped, 50x25 microns. The

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shell is thick with a one mucoid plug at each pole.

Life Cycle
1. The unembryonated eggs are passed with the stool . The eggs are lemon
shaped with about 50 to 54micrometer size. They have a yellowish outer and
transparent inner shell.
2. In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage ,
3. An advanced cleavage (cell division) division stage ,
4. Then they embryonate ; eggs becom e infective in 15 to 30 days.
5. After ingestion (soil-contaminated hands or soil food e.g vegetables/ carrots), the
eggs hatch in the small intestine, and release larvae
6. Larva mature and establish themselves as adults in the colon .
7. The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and
ascending colon. The adult worms are fixed in that location, with the anterior
portions threaded into the mucosa. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days
after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs
per day.

The life span of the adults is about 1 year.

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Justin Jannati – Biology 2015 (Dental Medicine)

Enterobius vermicularis/ threadworm

Intermediate Host – none – in theory needs self-infection.

Terminate Host - human

Epidemiology -

Male: The male measures 5 cm in length. The posterior end is curved and carries a
single copulatory spicule.

Female: The female measures 13 cm in length. The posterior end is straight.

Infective stage - Infection is by ingestion of eggs containing larvae with contaminated

raw vegetables.

Mode of infection

• By direct infection from a patient (Fecal-oral route).

• Autoinfection: the eggs are infective as soon as they are passed by the female worm. If
the hands of the patient get contaminated with these eggs, he/she will infect
him/herself again and again.

• Aerosol inhalation from contaminated sheets and dust.

• Diagnosis -

• Eggs in stool: Examination of the stool by

direct saline smear to detect the egg: this is
positive in about 5% of cases because the
eggs are glued to the peri-anal skin.

• Peri-anal swab: The peri-anal region is

swabbed with a piece of adhesive tape
(cellotape) hold over a tongue depressor. The
adhesive tape is placed on a glass slide and
examined for eggs. The swab should be done
in the early morning before bathing and
defecation.

Life Cycle
1. Eggs are deposited on perianal folds .
2. Self-infection occurs by transferring infective eggs to the mouth with hands
that have scratched the perianal area .
3. Person-to-person transmission can also occur through handling of contaminated
clothes or bed linens. Enterobiasis may also be acquired through surfaces in the
environment that are contaminated with pinworm eggs (e.g. , curtains,
carpeting). Some small number of eggs may become airborne and inhaled. These

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would be swallowed and follow the same development as ingested eggs.

Following ingestion of infective eggs, the larvae hatch in the small intestine
4. the adults establish themselves in the colon . The time interval from ingestion
of infective eggs to oviposition by the adult females is about one month. The life
span of the adults is about two months.
5. Gravid females migrate nocturnally outside the anus and oviposit while
crawling on the skin of the perianal area .
6. The larvae contained inside the eggs develop (the eggs become infective) in 4
to 6 hours under optimal conditions . Retroinfection, or the migration of newly
hatched larvae from the anal skin back into the rectum, may occur but the
frequency with which this happens is unknown.

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Ascaris

lumbricoides/ ascarides – geohelmint

Symptoms – blocking of the air tubes, blocking of alveolar, pulmonary diseases,

suffocation.

Morphology - The WHITE or PINK worm is identified by its large size. Male adult worm
measures 15-20 cm in length. The posterior end is curved ventrally. The female worm
measures 20-40 cm in length. They have 3 lips which carry minute teeth. Its posterior
end is straight. It has terminal mouth with three oval lips and a sensory papillae. It has
paired reproductive organs in posterior.

Infective stage and modes of infection - The eggs containing larva when ingested with
contaminated raw vegetables causes ascariasis.

Diagnosis - Microscopic identification of eggs in the stool is the most common method
for diagnosing intestinal ascariasis.

Intermediate Host - none

Terminative Host – human (it is a biohelmint does not need an intermediate host)

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Life Cycle
1. Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine. A female may produce
approximately 200,000 eggs per day, which are passed with the feces .
2. Unfertilized eggs may be ingested but are not infective. Fertile eggs
embryonate and become infective after 18 days to several weeks , depending
on the environmental conditions (optimum: moist, warm, shaded soil).
3. After infective eggs are swallowed , the larvae hatch , invade the
intestinal mucosa, and are carried via the portal, then systemic circulation to the
lungs .
4. The larvae mature further in the lungs (10 to 14 days), penetrate the alveolar
walls, ascend the bronchial tree to the throat, and are swallowed .
5. Upon reaching the small intestine, they develop into adult worms. Between 2
and 3 months are required from ingestion of the infective eggs to oviposition by
the adult female.

Adult worms can live 1 to 2

years.

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Justin Jannati – Biology 2015 (Dental Medicine)

Lumbricus terrestris – Rain worm

Lumbricus terrestris a large worm, measuring up to 25 cm in length and up to 1 cm in
diameter. They have a distinct, darker coloured "head" end which does contain the
primitive "brain" of the animal, and this tends to be the end of the worm that travels
"forward" the most. The "tail" end of the worm tends to be more flattened than the head
and lighter in colour.

Morphology The body plan of an earth worm is basically a segmented tube. Each
segment is a separate fluid-filled compartment surrounding the digestive tract (gut)
which runs the length of the worm's body. Many of the worm's internal organs are also
segmented, occurring as separate units in each segment, but there is considerable
specialization in the head end of the worm. The "brain", "hearts" and other organs are
clustered in the head end. Earth worms have no eyes, but they do have cells which are
sensitive to light. They do not have ears, but can feel vibrations in the ground. Earth
worms don't have lungs, they absorb oxygen directly through their moist skin, which is
kept moist by mucous secreting cells. If a worm dries out, it will suffocate.

Hirudo medicinalis/ Medical Leech

The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) has a slightly flattened cylindrical

body, divided into 33 or 34 segments. The upperside is dark brown or black with
six long reddish stripes, whilst the underside is speckled. There is a disc-shaped
sucker at the head end. The leech is famous for sucking blood and the 'mouth' of
the animal is situated within the sucker, complete with teeth. The leech also has
five pairs of eyes. It can grow up to 80mm long.

Leeches feed on blood. Having attached itself to the host animal, it pierces the
skin and injects an anesthetic to hide the pain of its bite so that the host does not
find the leech and remove it, and an anticoagulant chemical, which prevents the
host's blood from clotting whilst the leech feeds.

During a meal, it may extract 15 milliliters of blood, which can increase the size
of the leech by anything up to 11 times its normal body dimensions.

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