BIO044: General Zoology

Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

Materials:
PHYLUM NEMATODA: THE ROUNDWORMS Ballpens, erasers, pencils, and module

Lesson Objectives: References:

At the end of the day, you will be able to: • Hickman C.P., et al. (2008). Integrated
Principles of Zoology, 14th Edition.
1. Know the general characteristic of nematodes
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. Describe the different types of nematodes
New York.
3. Identify the common parasitic roundworms, as well
as their hosts and their mode of infection

Productivity Tip: Test yourself: Write a set of at least 5-10 questions (without answers) about the parasite on an
index card/notebook. After your study sessions, put down all your notes and give yourself a quiz using the
questions you’ve written. You can either write down your answers on a separate sheet of paper, say your
answers out loud, or have a classmate ask and you answer to them. After completing all
questions, check your notes and mark all the questions you did not get right. Review your notes again, with emphasis
on parts you got wrong, before giving yourself another round of Q&A.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
Introduction (2 mins)
In our last topic, we familiarized ourselves with the free-living and parasitic groups of flatworms from
Phylum Platyhelminthes. This next phylum is as medically important as it is economically, as they consist of
many important parasites of animals and even plants. Phylum Nematoda (roundworms) is a large group with
25,000 recorded species (but possibly be around 50,000). The focus of this subject will be more on the
common parasitic species of man and animals. Because different taxa under Nematoda contains a mix both
free-living and parasitic members, classifications will not be included and the parasitic forms will be arranged
by type.

Activity 1: What I Know Chart, part 1 (3 mins)

(For this part, only answer the first column. Please leave the 3 rd column blank until you reach Activity 4 of this module.)
What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

1) What is the defining
characteristic of a nematode?

2) How do people get infected

with parasitic intestinal
roundworms like Ascaris?

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

B. MAIN LESSON
Activity 2: Content Notes

Phylum NEMATODA
(nematos = “thread”)
• Level of complexity: Organ-system grade (organs are organized enough to form organ-systems)
• 25,000 named species (possible 50,000 species)
• Cosmopolitan distribution (sea, freshwater, soil)
• Includes free-living and also parasites
• Most important parasitic group: causes economic loss in animal and plant-based livelihoods
• Many microscopic, but some can be as long as 1 meter
• Excretory system has no protonephridia
• Cylindrical shape
• Lack of motile cilia or flagella (except in one species)
• Triploblastic

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

Anatomy and Physiology of a Nematode

Epidermis
• Cuticle – thick, noncellular outer
covering made of collagen o Comes in
several layers o Shed during growth
stages o Has high turgor (strong and
rigid, but flexible) – protects the worm
from hostile environments
• Hypodermis – the underlying
epidermis (also made on syncytial Figure 1: Anatomy of a roundworm, including cross-section of body to show
tegument) that secretes the cuticle cuticle, epidermis, muscles, the body cavity and organs

Muscles
• Complex; Looks more like nerve cells, with the processes contain contractile fibers (actin and myosin)
• Muscles lie beneath the hypodermis
• Muscles only contract longitudinally, meaning the worm body can lengthen, shorten, and move in a
whip-like manner.
o The lack of circular muscle fibers means the worm body cannot increase/decrease its diameter

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

• Intestines is one cell-layer
thick and has no muscles,
Body cavity
so food matter can only
• Pseudocoelomate – has a body cavity containing the organs,
move through intestine
but does not have a structure called peritoneum which holds by body movements and
organs in place (hence, why it is called pseudo- = “false/fake”)
by additional food being
passed into the intestines
Digestion
• Digestion is intracellular
• Gut is complete: consists of a mouth, muscular pharynx, by phagocytosis of
long non-muscular intestine, short rectum, and anus gastrodermal cells
• Food is sucked into mouth by contraction of the strong
muscles of the pharynx and then pushed down when the Nervous System
muscles relax • Similar with flatworms:
the “primitive brain” is a
ring of nerve tissue and

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

ganglia around the pharynx, which then gives rise to 2 nerve
cords (ventral and dorsal nerve cord) that sends signals to the
rest of the body.
• Sensory papillae – found around head and tail
• Amphids – pair of complex sensory organs that open on
each side of the head, which enters into a pore with dendrites
o reduced in parasitic nematodes
• Phasmids – similar to amphids but found in posterior end o
Figure 2: Digestive system of nematodes
only found in parasitic nematodes

Reproduction
• Most nematodes are dioecious, some monoecious.
• Reproductive organs are complete o Male: Paired testes,
seminal vesicles, vas deferens, spicules
o Females: Paired ovaries, paired oviduct, uterus (holds
eggs), spermatheca (stores sperms), vagina
• Males are smaller than females
Figure 3: Diagram of an amphid in a free-living
• Copulatory spicules – needle-like mating structures found in nematode
posterior end of males to facilitate transfer of sperm
• Females have a genital pore where sperm is received and
eggs

Figure 4: Reproductive system of male and

female nematodes (above). Spicules of male
roundworm (below)

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

are released
• Nematode sperm is unique because it does not have flagella
and is more like an amoeba
• Fertilization is internal
• Eggs stored in uterus until deposition
• Growth from juvenile to adult is through molting/shedding
of cuticle
• Life-cycle in parasitic forms may require intermediate hosts
• Many parasitic nematodes have free-living juvenile stages Figure 5: Roundworm eggs comes in a variety of
forms and sizes and can be used to specifically
• Eggs are encased in a highly resistant shell, allowing them to identify the genus/species of parasitic forms survive
in the environment for a long period of time until conditions are good for them or until they enter their
hosts (if parasitic)

Representative Nematodes

FREE-LIVING NEMATODE Description

Caenorhabditis elegans
• The most common and well studied free-living nematode
• Hermaphrodite (only few are males)
• Transparent and almost microscopic
• Has gut granules in intestines (unknown function)
• Feeds on bacteria and yeast that develop in decaying organic matter

 INTESTINAL ROUNDWORMS – often large, parasitic nematodes; The worms can only mature and reproduce in the
intestines of their specific host.

INTESTINAL ROUNDWORMS Description

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

• The most common nematode parasite in humans (1.27 billion people infected
worldwide)
• Female may lay upto 200,000 eggs a day (carried by feces)
• Eggs can hatch in soil and become infective juveniles within 2 weeks
• Eggs and shelled juveniles can remain viable for many months to years in soil
• Mode of Transmission: Feco-oral (spread via unsanitary defecation habits and
accidentally ingesting the eggs)
• Infective juveniles can burrow through intestinal wall into veins or lymph vessels
and then carried to heart and lungs (worms can exit the nose)
• Other related species:
Ascaris lumbricoides Ascarias suum (large roundworm of pigs) – looks similar to A.
“Large Roundworm of Humans” lumbricoides, but it is spread by pigs (but can also infect humans)
Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

Toxocara canis
“Intestinal Roundworm of Dogs”
• Life-cycle similar to Ascaris, but juveniles do not migrate to other organs in the
dog and just stay in the digestive tract
• But In pregnant dogs, juveniles can wander and infect embryos in uterus • Mode
of transmission: Feco-oral
• Can infect humans, but do not complete life-cycle in the humans. Instead, the
juvenile/larval forms will just travel/migrate the body and enter organs (called
visceral larval migrans) or the eye (called ocular larval migrans)
• Other related species:
Toxocara cati (intestinal roundworm of cats)

 HOOKWORMS – small nematodes; their anterior end curves, giving it a hook-like appearance; Worms only mature
in the intestines of their host; Blood-suckers; their mouth possesses large “teeth” plates to cut the intestinal
wall of their hosts and their saliva contains anticoagulant to prevent clotting.

HOOKWORMS Description

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

• Females can reach 11 mm long
• Heavy infections can lead to anemia and bloody diarrhea
• In children, can lead to retarded mental and physical growth
• Life cycle: Eggs are shed with feces of infected individual. They hatch in soil and
the juveniles/larvae are free-living. When they come in contact with bare
hands/feet of potential host, the larvae penetrates the skin and enter the
bloodstream until they reach the intestines. Larvae will mature and the adult
hookworms will reproduce and produce eggs.

Necator americanus
“Human hookworm”
• Similar life-cycle as Necator with free-living larval stage
• Also penetrates host’s skin through hair follicles
• In pregnant dogs, larva can cross the placenta and infect foetuses (prenatal
transmission)
• Can also enter mammary glands and transferred to puppies through milk
• Causes anemia and bloody diarrhea
• Can also infect cats
• Can infect humans, but do not complete life-cycle in the humans. Instead, the
Ancylostoma caninum juvenile/larval forms will just continue to migrate through the skin (called
“Canine hookworm” cutaneous larval migrans)

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

 TRICHINA WORMS – small nematodes that tends to curl into a spiral; ovoviviparous (females incubate eggs
inside body and “gives birth” larvae); Larvae forms cysts in tissues and muscles

TRICHINA WORM Description

• Tiny nematode
• Juveniles enter blood vessels are travel the body, where they are found in almost
any tissue, but eventually penetrate skeletal muscle cells and encysts
• When in the stomach or intestines, it penetrate the intestinal walls and cause
abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and ulcerations.
• Mode of transmission: eating raw/undercooked pork with encysted juveniles
Trichinella spiralis • Also infects rats, cats, dogs, and humans
“Trichina worm of pork” • No free-living stage. Spends entire life in host.

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 BIO044: General Zoology
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 PINWORMS – small intestinal nematodes with a characteristic pointed tail, giving it a “pin-like” appearance.

PINWORM
Enterobious vermicularis
“The human pinworm”
Description
• Most common nematode parasite in children (30%), but causes relatively little
disease except for being an annoyance
• Adults live in large intestine
• Life cycle: Female pinworms migrate to anus of host at night to lay their eggs in
the walls of the anus. The migration of the worms is very itchy and irritates the
anus and scratching of the anus can contaminates hands and bedclothes with the
eggs. When eggs are accidentally swallowed, they hatch in the small intestine,
then mature in large intestine.

 FILARIAL WORMS – Long, thin nematodes that invades the circulatory and lymphatic system of their host; their
larval form is called microfilaria, and these are ingested by mosquitoes, where it develops further into its
infective larval stage.

FILARIAL WORMS Description

• Life cycle: Humans are infeted when bitten by mosquito carrying the infectious
larval stage. The larva will travel throught the circulatory system and the enter the
lymphatic system to become adults, which will start producing microfilaria that
will travel to the capillaries so mosquitoes can ingest it.
• The adult worms that live in the lymphatic system can causing inflammation and
obstruction of the vessels, which leads to edema (swelling) of affected parts
Wuchereria bancrofti (usually legs and arms, sometimes testicles in males) in a disease called
“Human filarial worm” Elephantiasis.

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

• Causative agent of Dirofilariasis/Heartworm in dogs
• Mode of transmission: bite of mosquitos carrying infectious larva
• Microfilaria are located throughout the circulatory system, but adult worms are
found in the pulmonary artery of the heart, which causes difficulty in breathing
and fatigue. If worms bundle up and travel through blood vessels, it can bloke
blood flow and cause stroke.
• No evidence of adult heartworms found in humans and cats, but microfilaria have
Dirofilaria immitis been seen (worms never reach adult stage if the host is not a dog. It is quickly
“Canine Heartworm” eliminated by the immune system of humans)

Ascariasis (A. lumbricoides) Ocular larval migrans (T. canis) Cutaneous larval migrans (A. caninum)

Pinworm leaving anus (E. vermicularis) Elephantiasis (W. bancrofti) Dog’s heart with heartworms (D. immitis)

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

Activity 3: Skill-building Activities (with answer key)

• Read the instructions carefully and answer accordingly. Good Luck!

TABLE OF PARASITES: Fill up the missing parts of the table of parasitic nematodes. Please observe
proper writing and spelling of scientific names.
Note: Predilection site refers to the location in the host’s body where adult worms are found

Scientific name Host/s Mode of Infection Predilection site Disease/Injury

Humans Large intestines Irritation of anus

Enterobious feco-oral
vermicularis

Small Intestines
Humans exposed skin Anemia,
Necator americanus bloody diarrhea

Pigs, humans Feco-oral intestinal wall into

veins or lymph
abdominal pain,
Ascaris lumbricoides vessels
diarrhea
and then carried
to heart and lungs
Intestines Diarrhea,
feco-oral Visceral larval migrans
Toxocara canis Humans

Dirofilariasis

Dirofilaria immitis Humans, dogs mosquio bites pulmonary artery

of the heart

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 BIO044: General Zoology
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Pigs, humans Ingestion of
Trichinella spiralis raw/undercooked stomach/intestines Trichinosis
pork with cysts

Humans Elephantiasis
Wuchereria bancrofti mosquito bites lymphatic system

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

Activity 4: What I Know Chart, part 2 (2 mins)

• Go back to the “What I Know Chart” in Activity 1 and answer the “What I Learned” column.

Activity 5: Check for Understanding (5 mins)

• Answer the short quiz as honestly as you can. Encircle the letter of your answer. My Score: __________

1) This is shed throughout the growth of the worm

a. Hypodermis
b. Phasmids
c. Cuticle
d. Amphids

2) This is present only in parasitic nematodes

a. Hypodermis
b. Phasmids
c. Cuticle
d. Amphids

3) This type of nematode has mouth plates which allows them to bite through intestinal walls a.
Hookworms
b. Roundworms

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 BIO044: General Zoology
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Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

c. Trichina worms
d. Filarial worms

4) What do you call the larval form of filarial worms?

a. Juvenile
b. Microfilaria
c. Dirofilaria
d. Spicules

5) This structure is present in male nematodes and assists in the transfer of sperm a. Juvenile
b. Microfilaria
c. Dirofilaria
d. Spicules

Section: _________ Schedule: ______________________ Date: _________________________

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

Activity 6: Thinking about Learning (5 mins)

A. Work Tracker
You are done with this session! Let’s track your progress. Shade the session number you just
completed.

P1 P2 P3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

B. Think About Your Learning

Date Learning Target/Topic Scores Action Plan

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 BIO044: General Zoology
Module #10

Name: __________________________________________ Class number: _________________

What module# did you do? What
What’s the date
were the learning targets? What
today?
activities did you do?
What contributed to the quality of your performance today?
What were your scores
What will you do next session to maintain your performance or
in the activities?
improve it?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• Does asexual reproduction occur in nematodes?
Sexual reproduction is the dominant mode among species. Very rarely is asexual form of reproduction occur in
nematodes, and if they do it is usually through parthenogenesis, in which the egg cell of the female will
develop without the fertilization from sperm. This tend to occur when a population does not have any males.

• What kind of damage can nematode plant parasites do?

Nematodes that are parasitic to plants tend to smaller and microscopic. They feed on or inside plant roots
using needle-like mouthparts for piercing and sucking. Affected plants have trouble absorbing enough water
and nutrient and become much more vulnerable to soil-borne fungal and bacterial diseases. Because eggs
are laid in soil, they are easily spread on tools, feet, or by water runoff from a field. If heavy infestations occur
in crops, this can lead to serious economic loss and affect farmers.

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