ASCHELMINTHES

Mission Vision Core Values

Christ University is a nurturing ground for an Excellence and Service Faith in God | Moral Uprightness
individual’s holistic development to make effective Love of Fellow Beings | Social
contribution to the society in a dynamic environment Responsibility | Pursuit of Excellence
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General characters
- commonly called thread worm or round worm.
- unsegmented, triploblastic, pseudocoelomic, cylindrical or thread-like
worms having cuticle and epidermis.
-

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- Mostly parasitic, few of them are free-living.

- cylindrical, elongated, slender worm like and tapers at both end.
- Triploblastic.
- Bilaterally symmetrical.
- Organ system level of organization.
- Body is unsegmented.
- Pseudocoelomate i.e. body cavity is not lined by mesodermal layer.
- Body is covered with tough and resistant cuticle.
- Digestive system is complete and straight with both mouth and anus.
-

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- Respiratory and circulatory organs are absent.

- Excretory system consists of intracellular canal or lateral excretory ducts.
- Nervous system is not much developed.
- Sense organs are poorly developed in the form of papillae, which are well
defined as amphids (in mouth) and phasmid (in anus).
- These are unisexual i.e. sexes are separate with sexual dimorphism.
- Fertilization is internal, may be cross or self.
- Development may be direct or indirect.
Larval forms are Rhabditiform, Filariform and Micrifilaria.
- Various lateral lines and pores are present on the surface of body.

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S.N. Zoological name Common name Disease

1 Ascaris lumbricoides Roundworm Ascariasis.

2 Wuchereria bancrofti Filarialworm Elephantiasis

3 Enterobius vermicularis Pin/thread Churna

worm
4 Loa loa Eyeworm conjunctivitis

5 Ancyclostoma duodenale Hookworm Ancyclostomiasis

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Life history of Ascaris

Phylum Nematoda
Class Phasmida
Order Ascaroidea
Family Ascaroidae
Genus Ascaris
Species A. lumbricoides 

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A. lumbricoides
 Round worm
 Endoparasite
 Cosmopolitan
 Smooth, elastic cuticle
 Female – 20-40cm
 Male – 15-30cm
 Body wall: cuticle, hypodermis &
muscular layer, pseudocoelomic fluid,
pseudocoelomocytes 
 Anaerobic respiration
 Giant cells

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Anterior:
3 Lips surround the
mouth
Teeth and Sensory

Posterior
- Papillae
- Anus

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 Dioecious
 Tail curved
 MALE REPROTIVE SYSTEM
 Associated structures
 Monorchic, Cuboidal cells
 VD, SV, ED-Prostatic gland
 Penial setae-Retractors and
protractors, gubernaculum
(chitinous plate)
 Cloaca
 Amoeboid sperm, elliptical egg

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 FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

 Didelphic – set of two parallel tract
 Associated structures
 Pair of ovary, Cuboidal cells
 Oviduct,
 Uteri- uterus, seminal receptacle,
 Vagina-gonopore,

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 Hologonic –entire length

 Telogonic – proximal end,
 germinal zone or zone of
proliferation
 growth zone

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LIFE HISTORY

 Copulation and fertilization

 monogenetic
 Host’s intestine
 Glycogen globules form fertilization
membrane - Inner chitinous shell
 Fat globules form lipoid layer
 Uterine wall secretes albuminous layer
 Mamillated eggs
 60-70µm
 Comes out through gonopore

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 Zygote
 Small intestine
 unsegmented
 15 – 200 thousand
 27 million eggs
 Neat oxygen, moisture, low temperature
 Development
 Blastula, gastrula
 Spiral and determinate
 Juvenile – 10-14days
 Rhabditiform larva or rhabditoid
 Moult – become II stage – infective stage
 6 years

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 Infestation
 No secondary host
 Contaminated food
 Host digestive juices – free from shell
 Similar structure, no reproductive system
 Development in host
 Intestine – mesenteric circulation –
hepatic portal vein – liver – right side of
the heart – lungs – alveoli – become 3rd &
4th stage – bronchioles, bronchus, trachea,
throat, oesophagus, small intestine (10
days),
 60-75 days
 9 to 12 months

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Parasitic effects
 Pathogenicity  Treatment
 500 – 5000 adults  Oil of chenopodium and
 Diarrhoea, vomiting, fever tetrachloroethylene
 Interfere with digestion  Anti-heminth drugs – hetrazan,
 Peritonitis – intestine damage piperazine hydrate or citrate,
 Destroy trypsin tetraezole
 Dull the mental capacity and stunt  Prophylaxis
growth in children  Sanitary condition
 Juvenile cause haemorrhage,
 Mild KMnO4
pneumonia
 Cook properly, avoid raw veg.
 Ascariasis
 Wash hand, clean nail,

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Parasitic adaptations
 Body is long, flexible and cylindrical in shape with both the ends pointed
 Body is covered externally by cuticle that helps to resist digestive juices of the
host.
 The worm also secretes antienzymes to protect it from the digestive enzymes
of the host.
 Adhesive organs are not found but there are papillae on lips to anchor on to the
villi of intestine.
 Muscular pharynx facilitates ingestion of tissue and blood by sucking action.
 Digested food from the host intestine, absorbs readily through its skin.
 There are no elaborate digestive glands as it feeds on partially digested food.
 Pseudocoelomic fluid serves carries out absorption, transport and distribution
of food, oxygen and wastes.
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 Mode of respiration is obligatory anaerobic as it lives in an oxygen

deficient environment in intestine.
 Sense organs are very poorly developed because of endoparasitic life.
 Millions of eggs are produced which compensates for the death of
large number of them
 The hard shell of eggs protects the developing juveniles from the
environmental hazards.
 Direct infection to man through contamination and abundance of eggs
in the environment increases its chances of reinfection of man.

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