Kingdom Animalia

Clade Ecdysozoa Phylum Nematoda (Roundworms)

Clade Ecdysozoa
Although the clade Ecdysozoa is defined

primarily by molecular evidence, it includes animals that shed a tough external coat (cuticle) as they grow. The group derives its name from ecdysis, or molting. The ecdysozoan clade consists of eight animal phyla and contains more known species than all other protist, fungus, plant, and animal groups combined. The two largest ecdysozoan phyla, Nematoda and Arthropoda, are among the most successful and abundant of all animal

Phylum Nematoda
Nematodes, or roundworms, are found in most

aquatic habitats, wet soil, moist tissues of plants, and the body fluids and tissues of animals. Nematodes range in length from less than 1 mm to more than a meter. The cylindrical bodies of roundworms are covered with a tough exoskeleton, the cuticle. As the worm grows, it periodically sheds its old cuticle and secretes a new, larger one. Nematodes have an alimentary tract and use the fluid in their pseudocoelom to transport nutrients, since they lack a circulatory system.

Phylum Nematoda
Nematodes usually reproduce sexually. The sexes are separate in most species, and

fertilization is internal. Females may lay 100,000 or more fertilized eggs per day. The zygotes of most nematodes are resistant cells that can survive harsh conditions. Free-living nematodes play a major role in decomposition and nutrient recycling, but little is known about most species. Other species of nematodes parasitize animals, including some species that benefit humans by

Nematoda: Parasitic

Guinea Worm

Filarial Worm

Hook Worm

Trichinella spiralis
Trichinella spiralis causes trichinosis when the

nematode worms encyst in a variety of human organs, including skeletal muscle. Humans acquire this nematode by eating undercooked meat that has juvenile worms encysted in the muscle tissue. Parasitic nematodes hijack cellular functions of their hosts to evade their immune systems. Some species inject molecules that induce the development of root cells that provide nutrients to the parasites. Trichenella in human muscle cells controls the expression of muscle cell genes that code for proteins that make the cell elastic enough to house the nematode.

Pork Round Worm

Trichinella Spiralis Whole Mount

Loa Loa

Loa Loa

Dirofilaria

Adult worms1 live in the lumen of the small intestine. A female may produce up to 240,000 eggs per day, which are passed with the feces 2. Fertile eggs embryonate and become infective after 18 days to several weeks 3, depending on the environmental conditions (optimum: moist, warm, shaded soil). After infective eggs are swallowed 4, the larvae hatch 5, invade the intestinal mucosa, and are carried via the portal, then systemic circulation to the lungs 6 . 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 7. Upon reaching the small intestine, they develop into adult worms 1. 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.

Sexually Dimorphic: Males smaller than females and possess a hooked tail.

Ascaris

Ascaris Infection

Ascaris Male

Ascaris Female

Ovary

Oviduct

Females have a pair of ovaries

attached to an oviduct Each oviduct becomes a tubular uterus, forming a vagina that opens externally through a genital pore

Lab Instructions: View all organisms listed in the chart above in the microscope, stereoscope, preserved or on the observation tray. Draw each organism in your lab notebook and note the distinguishable characteristics of each. Review internal anatomy of each organism.

Organism (Scienctific Name) Ascaris lumbricoides (Sl) & (Sp) Dirofilaria (Sl) Loa Loa (Sl) Trichinella spiralis (Sl)

Common Name Pork Round Worm Dog Round Worm N/A Pork Round Worm

Vertebrate Habitat
Intestines

Lymph Vessels
Eye Muscles