JUSTICE BASHEER AHMED SAYEED COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

(Autonomous) Chennai 18.

S.I.E.T.
P.G. AND RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
Aschelminthes- general characters and classification
Type study – Ascaris lumbricoides
Characteristic features of Phylum Aschelminthes :Gr. Askos: cavity; helmins: worms.
Nema: thread, helmins: worms
The body of these organisms is unsegmented and triploblastic.
They have a pseudocoeloem, where the body cavity is not lined by the mesodermal
layer.
They are bilaterally symmetric.
The body is cylindrical or thread like with elongated, slender worm-like
appearance and tapering at both ends.
Body wall has epidermis, muscle layer and is covered by cuticle.
The body size of these organisms varies from microscopic to several centimetres in
length.
These organisms are mostly parasitic, with a few free-living
They exhibit an organ system level of organization.
Externally, there is little differentiation between the anterior and posterior regions.
But internal cephalization is present.
There is no distinct head. However, the mouth is present in the anterior
The digestive system is complete, with a mouth and anus.
The mouth in these organisms is terminal and is surrounded by lips bearing sense organ.
Amphids and papillae are the main sensory organs.
The nervous system consists of a nerve-ring that encircles the oesophagus.
From it, nerves extend out anteriorly and posteriorly.
Respiratory organs are absent. Respiration occurs through the general body surface. It is
aerobic in free-living forms and anaerobic in parasitic organisms.
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 The excretory system has canals and
gland-like
Sexes are separate and are unisexual,
exhibiting sexual dimorphism.
Fertilization is internal.
They are ovo-viviparous, oviparous or
viviparous.
The life cycle of these organisms is
complicated. It may be with or without an
intermediate host.

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Class: Rotifera
They are microscopic and aquatic animals.
Eye spots and antennae act as sensory organs.
They are commonly called wheel animalcules having a trunk
and a tail.
Body wall is thickened into plates or lorica.
Anteriorly, they have a ciliated trochial disc.
e.g. Limnias, Rotara (Rotifera) etc.
Class: Nematomorpha
They are commonly known as hair worms, found in spring (aquatic).
Body is unsegmented and covered with a thick cuticle.
Pseudocoel is present which is filled with parenchyma.
They lack circulatory, respiratory and excretory system.
Digestive system is complete.
e.g. Paragprdius, Nectonema etc.

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Class: Gastrotricha
They are microscopic and may be fresh water forms or marine.
Body is covered by cuticle which bears spines.
Excretory system consists of two protonephridia.
Pharynx is tri-radiate and muscular.
The posterior end of the body is forked.
e.g. Macrodasys, Chaetonotus etc.
Class: Kinorhyncha
They are marine, microscopic and worm like forms. Chaetonotus
Body is superficially segmented. Echinoderes
Body surface is spherical and consists of spiny cuticle.
e.g. Trachydemus, Echinoderes etc.
Class 5 Nematoda ❖ Ascaris lumbricoides –
They are endoparasites Round Worm
Body is Bilaterally symmetrical and vermiform. ❖ Enterobius vermicularis –
Body covered in a complex cuticle. Pinworm
Sexes are separate ❖ Ancylostoma duodenale –
Examples: Ascaris (round worm), Ancyclostoma (hook worm), Hookworm
Enterobius (pinworm) ❖ Wuchereria bancrofti –
Filarial worm
❖ Loa loa – Eye Worm

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Kingdom Animalia ▪ Round worm
:
▪ Phylum - Aschelminthes,Class - Nematoda
▪ Endoparasite, Lives in intestine of man
Phylum: Nematoda
▪ Ascariasis
▪ Cosmopolitan, More common in children
Class: Chromadorea ▪ Length - 10 to 14 inches
▪ Body of the worm is long cylindrical and tapering at anterior and
Order: Ascaridida posterior ends and the colour of the animal is reddish yellow
▪ 4 longitudinal lines running throughout the length of the body
Family: Ascarididae
One is mid-dorsal , one is mid-ventral and 2- lateral in position
▪ It shows sexual dimorphism, female is larger than the male
Genus: Ascaris
▪ The posterior end of the female is straight but the male it is curved
ventrally like a hook
▪ The mouth is situated at the anterior end of the body and guarded by
Species: A. lumbricoides 3 lips - 1-dorso median and 2- venterolateral in position
▪ On ventral side about 2 mm from the anterior end is a small opening
called the excretory pore
Binomial name ▪ In front of the posterior end, on the ventral side of the female the
anus is present but in the male cloacal aperture is located in the same
Ascaris lumbricoides
Linnaeus, 1758
position
▪ 2 curved spicules or penial setae project from the cloacal aperture
▪ In the female there is genital aperture on the ventral surface at about
one-third of length from the anterior end.
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 BODY WALL
❖ It is covered with an outer elastic membrane called cuticle
❖ The cuticle protects the parasite from the digestive enzymes of the host
❖ Beneath The cuticle a situated a larger epidermis , it is a sheet of
continuous protoplasm with scattered nuclei and devoid of cell
boundaries and it is called as syncytial epidermis
❖ Epidermis is thickened in 4 regions, forming longitudinal chords
They are dorsal, ventral and Lateral chords . These chords project into
the body cavity and are externally visible as longitudinal lines
❖ Next layer - muscular layer formed of longitudinal muscle fibres
❖ Circular muscles are absent.
❖ The muscles are arranged in four longitudinal blocks because they are
separated by four thickening of epidermis (longitudinal chords )
❖ Each muscle fibre has an outer broader muscular part with contractile
fibres and inner narrow protoplasmic part with a nucleus
❖ The protoplasmic part consists of non- contractile fibres and projects
towards the body cavity

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 BODY CAVITY OR COELOM:
It is the space between the body wall and the alimentary canal
In Nematodes it is known as Pseudocoelom, because it is not lined
with coelomic epithelium. This Pseudocoelom is filled with the fluid
called Pseudocoelom fluid
It contains Fluid contains amoeboid cells called Pseudocoelomocytes

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DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Alimentary canal is simple straight tube
Mouth situated at the anterior end and surrounded by three lips
Mouth leads to buccal cavity and then it leads into a cylindrical pharynx.
The pharynx is lined with cuticle and has a triangular lumen
It is followed by the intestine or mid gut which is the largest
part of the alimentary canal
It is dorso ventrally flattened and is lined with cuticle both inside and outside
It has no muscular walls
The intestine is followed by a short rectum which is also dorso ventrally flattened
In female which leads to the outside by an anus , but in male the rectum leads to the
cloaca which opens out by cloacal aperture

Digestion
Ascaris feeds on the digested food of its host .The food is sucked by the muscular
pharynx .
The digestion is extracellular in the intestine. The digested food is absorbed through
Intestinal cells.
Mouth--------------------Buccal
cavity------------Pharynx---------Intestine-----------Rectum

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 RESPIRATION
In the intestine of man there is no Oxygen.
Hence respiration occurs without oxygen .This type of respiration is called anaerobic
respiration.
During anaerobic respiration , energy is released from glycogen by a process called
glycolysis.
Glycolysis consists of a series of reactions occurring in the absence of oxygen.
During anaerobic respiration , glycogen is broken into fatty acids and carbon dioxide
with the release of energy .
Carbon dioxide diffuses out through the surface of the body.
Glycolysis
Glycogen---------------🡪Fatty acids+co2+Energy
Excretory system
❖ The excretory system is formed of protonephridium .
❖ It is H-shaped and is formed of two longitudinal excretory canals and a transverse canal.
❖ From the transverse canal arises a terminal duct.
❖ It opens to the outside by the excretory pore located behind the mouth on the ventral side.
❖ There are no flame cells and internal opening.
❖ The nitrogenous waste are absorbed through the thin walls of the canals and are eliminated
through the excretory pore
❖ The nitrogenous waste is mainly in the form of urea.

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 NERVOUS SYSTEM

✔ The Nervous system consists of circumpharyngeal Nerve

ring, located around the pharynx.

✔ The nerve ring gives off six nerves anteriorly and six nerves
posteriorly.

✔ Of the six posterior nerves, two are thicker than the rest .
✔ They run in dorsal and ventral lines .
✔ They are connected by a transverse commissures at
intervals .

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Reproductive system
The sexes are separate. Ascaris shows well marked sexual dimorphism
• Male reproductive system
• It consists of a single testis
• It is coiled thread like structure
• It lies in the anterior part of the body
cavity.
• The testis leads into a vas deferens. The
vas deferens elongates into a muscular tube,
the seminal vesicle.
• The sperms are stored in the seminal
vesicle.
• The seminal vesicle is followed by
short muscular ejaculatory duct which joins
with the cloaca.
• The cloaca dorsally has a pair of penial
sacs in which lie 2 pineal setae or spicules
• The setae can be protruded out. they help in
transference of sperms during copulation
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• Female reproductive system
• It consists of a pair of ovaries.
• They are tubular and thread like they
occupy the posterior part of the body .
• Each ovary leads into an oviduct
which is slightly broader than the ovary.
The oviduct leads anteriorly into the
uterus.
• The uterus is a long , muscular and
straight tube . The uterus contains
fertilized egg .
• The uteri of both sides unite anteriorly
to form a median vagina .
• The vagina opens to the outside
through the vulva for the gonopore.
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 LIFE CYCLE
Ascaris is an endoparasite and living inside the intestine of man
It is monogenic parasite completing life cycle in one host
The development is indirect as there is a larval form in its life cycle
FERTILIZATION
It is internal. The eggs are fertilized in the oviduct
LAYING EGGS
Fertilized eggs are laid by the female in the intestine of man.
A female can lay about out 2,70,00,000 eggs in her life time.
The eggs are passed out through the faeces of man.
EGGS
The eggs are oval in shape
It is covered by three membranes, an outer protein layer, a middle shell and the
lipid layer.
The egg is resistant to all kinds of weathers and can survive for several years.
Cleavage
Segmentation of the egg is holoblastic and unequal .
The cleavage is of spiral type and development is determinate.which leads to the
formation of blastula .The blastula invaginates and becomes the gastrula
The gastrual develops into a larva is called as Rhabditiform larva

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 Rhabditiform larvae
It looks like the Rhabditis (adult)
hence the name
It is cylindrical in shape
It has a straight alimentary canal with
mouth and anus
It contains all parts of an adult with
except the reproductive organs

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INFECTION
This Larva remains inside the egg
Further the development occurs when it enters the host .
It enters the host through contaminated food and water.
When the egg enters the intestine of man, the egg membranes dissolve and the larva is
released
EXTRA INTESTINAL MIGRATION
The newly hatched larva does not remain in the intestine.
It goes out of the intestine ( 10 days ) for a tour
The tour undertaken by the Larva……………
Penetrates the INTESTINAL WALL and reaches the MESENTRIC BLOOD VESSELS.-------------
LIVER (hepatic portal vein)-----------------------HEART(Hepatic vein & post caval
vein)---------------LUNGS (Pulmonary arteries)------------ enters ALVEOLI (Lives and grows for
some days)-----------------BRONCHUS
------------TRACHEA-------------THROAT---------OESOPHAGUS---------------SMALL INTESTINE (grows
into an adult)
MOULTING
Moulting is shedding of the outer cuticle.
The Larva moults 4 times before it becomes the adult.
When it is inside the egg , it moults for the first time
In the alveolus of the lungs it moults twice. The fourth moult occurs in the intestine
This moult converts the larva into an adult.

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PATHOGENESIS
o Ascaris causes disease called Ascariasis
o It depends on the severity of infections
o When Ascaris shares the food of man, it causes weakness, anaemia and eosinophilia
o When the worm damage the intestinal mucosa , it leads to enteritis and peritonitis
o When the parasite in the appendix is causes appendicitis
o When it enters and damage the liver it causes hepatitis
o The damage of lungs includes pneumonia
PREVENTION
By the following method
❖ Human faeces should be safely disposed underground
❖ Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed
❖ Hands should be properly washed before eating
❖ Finger nails should be regularly cut
TREATMENT
Drugs
a mixture of oil of chenopodium and tetrachloroethylene is an effective drug
Piperazine citrate
Tetramisole
Dithiazanine
Hetrazan etc.,

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