Phylum Aschelminthes

➔ Complete tubular digestive tract

➔ Most aschelminthes also have a specialized muscular pharynx that is adapted for
feeding.
➔ Bilateral symmetry, Unsegmented, triploblastic organisms.
➔ Soft bodied organism
➔ Protonephridia
➔ No separate blood or gas exchange systems are present.
➔ Respiratory and circulatory systems are absent.
➔ The nervous system is simple and consists of a nerve ring with anterior and posterior
longitudinal nerves.
➔ Sense organs are in the form of pits, papillae, bristles, and eyespots.
➔ Asexual reproduction doesn’t occur in them.
➔ Mostly diecious, male usually smaller than females.
➔ Many aschelminthes show eutely, a condition in which the number of cells (or nuclei
in syncytia) is constant both for the entire animal and for each given organ in all the
animals of that species.
For example, the number of body (somatic) cells in all adult Caenorhabditis elegans
nematodes is 959, and the number of cells in the pharynx of every worm in the
species is precisely 80.

Phylum Aschelminthes- Evolutionary Perspective

Two hypotheses have been proposed for their phylogeny.

1. The first hypothesis contends that the phyla are related based on the presence of the
following structures: a pseudocoelom, a cuticle, a muscular pharynx, and adhesive
glands.
2. The second hypothesis contends that the various aschelminthes phylum are not related to
each other; thus, they are probably polyphyletic.
Phylum Aschelminthes- Classification

● Phylum Rotifera (wheel animalcules)

● Phylum Kinorhyncha
● Phylum Nematomorpha
● Phylum Loriciphera
● Phylum Priapulida
● Phylum Acanthocephala
● Phylum Nematoda (Roundworms): Parasites of plants and animals as well as many
non-parasitic, free-living species

Phylum Rotifera

➔ Triploblastic, bilateral, unsegmented, pseudocoelomate

➔ Complete digestive system, regionally specialized.
➔ Anterior end often has a ciliated organ called a corona.
➔ Posterior end with toes and adhesive glands.
➔ Well-developed cuticle.
➔ Protonephridia with flame cells.
➔ Males are generally reduced in number or absent; parthenogenesis is common.

Phylum Rotifera-External Features

➔ Cuticle covers a rotifera's external surface.

➔ In many species, the cuticle thickens to form an
encasement called a lorica. The cuticle or lorica provides
protection and is the main supportive element, although fluid
in the pseudocoelom also provides hydrostatic support.
➔ The epidermis is syncytial; that is, no plasma
membranes are between nuclei
 ➔ The head contains the corona, mouth, sensory organs, and brain.
➔ The corona surrounds a large, ciliated area called the buccal field.
➔ The trunk is the largest part of a rotifer, and is elongate and saclike.
➔ The anus occurs dorsally on the posterior trunk.
➔ The posterior narrow portion is called the foot.
➔ The terminal portion of the foot usually bears one or two toes.
➔ At the base of the foot are many pedal glands whose ducts open on the toes. Secretions
from these glands aid in the temporary attachment of the foot to a substratum.

Phylum Rotifera-Feeding and Digestive System

➔ Food: Microorganisms and suspended organic material.

➔ The coronal cilia create a current of water that brings food particles to the mouth.
➔ The pharynx contains a unique structure called the mastax (jaws).
➔ The mastax is a muscular organ that grinds food.
➔ The inner walls of the mastax contain several sets of jaws called trophi . The trophi vary
in morphological detail, and taxonomists use them to distinguish species.
➔ From the mastax, food passes through a short, ciliated esophagus to the ciliated stomach.
Salivary and digestive glands secrete digestive enzymes into the pharynx and stomach.
Complete extracellular digestion absorption of food occurs in the stomach.
➔ In some species, a short, ciliated intestine extends posteriorly and becomes a cloacal
bladder, which receives water from the protonephridia, and eggs from the ovaries, as
well as digestive waste.

Phylum Rotifera-Other Organs

➔ All visceral organs lie in a pseudocoelom filled with fluid & interconnecting amoeboid
cells.
➔ Protonephridia-Osmoregulation
➔ Exchange gases and dispose of nitrogenous wastes across body surfaces.
➔ The nervous system is composed of two lateral nerves and a bilobed, ganglionic brain on
the dorsal surface of the mastax.
Phylum Rotifera-Reproduction

➔ Some rotifers reproduce sexually, although several types of parthenogenesis occur in

most species.
➔ In the class Bdelloidea, no males are known . So, all females are parthenogenetic and
produce diploid eggs that hatch into diploid females.
➔ In the class Seisonidea, fully developed males and females are equally common in the
population. So, produced haploid eggs must be fertilized to develop into either males or
females.
➔ In the class Monogononta, sporadically smaller males appear. Females of this class
produce two different types of eggs.

Phylum Nematoda (Roundworms)

➔ Origin of the word nematoda: Nema = greek for thread

➔ Level of organization: Organ and Organ systems
➔ Species: range from 16,000 to 500,000.
➔ Food: Every conceivable source of organic matter from rotting substances to the living
tissues of other invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants.
➔ Size: microscopic to several meters long.
➔ Habitat: Many nematodes are parasites of plants or animals; most others are free living
in maríne, freshwater, or soil habitats.
➔ Some nematodes play an important role in recycling nutrients in soils and bottom
sediments.
➔ Triploblastic, bilateral, vermiform, unsegmented, pseudocoelomate
 ➔ Complete digestive tract; mouth usually surrounded by lips bearing sense organs
➔ Most have a unique excretory system consisting of one or two renette cells or a set of
collecting tubules
➔ Body wall has only longitudinal muscles

Phylum Nematoda- External Features

➔ A typical nematode body is slender, elongate, cylindrical, and tapered at both ends.
➔ The cuticle may be smooth, or it may contain spines, bristles,papillae (small, nipplelike
projections), warts, or ridges, all of which are of taxonomic significance.
➔ Three primary layers make up the cuticle: cortex, matrix layer, and basal layer.
➔ The cuticle maintains internal hydrostatic pressure, provides mechanical protection, and
in parasitic species of nematodes, resists digestion by the host.

➔ The cuticle is usually molted four times during maturation.

➔ Beneath the cuticle is the epidermis, or hypodermis, which surrounds the pseudocoelom.
➔ The epidermis may be syncytial, and its nuclei are usually in the four epidermal cords
(one dorsal, one ventral, and two lateral) that project inward.
➔ The longitudinal muscles are the principal means of locomotion in nematodes.
Contraction of these muscles results in undulatory waves that pass from the anterior to
posterior end of the animal, creating characteristic thrashing movements.
 ➔ Nematodes lack circular muscles and therefore cannot crawl.
➔ Some nematodes have lips surrounding the mouth, and some species bear spines or teeth
on or near the lips.
➔ Some roundworms have head shields that afford protection.
➔ Sensory organs include;
1. Amphids are anterior depressions in the cuticle that contain modified cilia and
function in chemoreception.
2. Phasmids are near the anus and also function in chemoreception.
3. Paired ocelli (eyes) are present in aquatic nematodes.

Phylum Nematoda- Feeding and Digestion

➔ A wide variety of foods; they may be carnivores, herbivores, saprobes (saprotrophs) or

parasitic.
➔ Complete digestive system consisting of a mouth, which may have teeth, jaws, or stylets
(sharp, pointed structures); buccal cavity; muscular pharynx; long, tubular intestine
where digestion and absorption occur; short rectum; and anus.

Phylum Nematoda-Excretion

➔ Two unique systems.

1. The glandular system is in aquatic species and consists of ventral gland cells,
called renettes. Each gland absorbs waste from the pseudocoelom and empties it
to the outside through an excretory pore.
2. Parasitic nematodes have an advanced system, called the tubular system, that
develops from the renette system. In this system, the renettes unite to form a large
canal, which opens to the outside via Pores.
Phylum Nematoda- Nervous System

➔ The nervous system consists of an anterior nerve ring.

➔ Nerves extend posteriorly; many connect to each other via commissures.

Phylum Nematoda- Reproduction

➔ Most nematodes are dioecious and dimorphic, with the males being smaller than the
females. The long, coiled gonads lie free in the pseudocoelom.
➔ The female system consists of a pair of convoluted ovaries, which is continuous with an
oviduct whose proximal end is swollen to form a seminal receptacle. Each oviduct
becomes a tubular uterus; the two uteri unite to form a vagina that opens to the outside
through a genital pore.
➔ The male system consists of a single
testis, which is continuous with a vas
deferens that eventually expands into a
seminal vesicle.
➔ Males are commonly armed with a
posterior flap of tissue called a bursa. The
bursa aids the male in the transfer of sperm to
the female genital pore during copulation.
➔ After copulation, hydrostatic forces in
the pseudocoelom move each fertilized egg to the gonopore (genital pore).
➔ External factors, such as temperature and moisture, influence the development and
hatching of the eggs.
➔ Hatching produces a larva (some parasitologists refer to it as a juvenile) that has most
adult structures. The larva (juvenile) undergoes four molts, although in some species, the
one or two molts may occur before the eggs hatch.
Intestinal & tissue nematodes:
Nematodes can be divided into intestinal and tissue dwellers.

Intestinal nematodes:
● Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm)
● Trichuris trichiura (whipworm)
● Ascaris lumbricoides (large roundworm)
● Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworms)

Tissue nematodes:

Non-Filarial Tissue Nematode Infections:

Nematode species Disease Location in Humans

Toxocara canis Visceral larva migran Abdominal organ and Brain

Trichinella spiralis Trichinellosis (trichinosis) Muscles, lungs, Brain

Dracunculus medinensis Drancunculias is Guinea Subcutaneous, mainly in

worm disease lower limbs

Filarial Tissue Nematode Infections:

Nematode species Disease Location in Humans Vector

Wuchereria Elephantiasis Lymphatic vessels Mosquitoes

bancrofti

Brugia malayi Elephantiasis Lymphatic vessels Mosquitoes

Onchocerca Onchocerciasis ( river Subcutaneous Simulium spp. (black

blindness) nodules fly)
volvulus

Loa Loa Loiasis Moving in Chrysops spp. (deer

Subcutaneous tissues fly)
 Ascaris (Intestinal nematode)

➔ Ascaris is a genus of parasitic nematode worms known as the "small intestinal

roundworms", which is a type of parasitic worm.
➔ Definite host: Humans, no intermediate host.
➔ The roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides is the largest intestinal nematode infecting humans.
➔ Ascaris lumbricoides develop from egg to adult through four larval stages, each followed
by a molt in which the cuticle is shed.
➔ The adult stage is reached 2-3 weeks post-infection and 8-12 weeks after infection the
worms reach sexual maturity.
➔ Male nematodes use chemotaxis to locate females. They have no visual abilities, and
instead are attracted to specific sex pheromones which females release.
➔ Ascaris lumbricoides is dioecious.

Life Cycle of Ascaris lumbricoides

➔ Adult worms live in the small intestine of people. There, females may produce about
200,000 eggs per day. The eggs are excreted with stool.
➔ Only fertilized eggs cause infection. The fertilized eggs develop in the soil. The eggs
develop best in moist, warm, shaded soil.
➔ People become infected when they swallow Ascaris eggs, often in food that came in
contact with soil contaminated with human stool containing fertilized Ascaris eggs.
➔ The eggs hatch and release larvae in the intestine.
➔ The larvae penetrate the wall of the small intestine and travel through the lymphatic
vessels and bloodstream to the lungs.
➔ Once inside the lungs, larvae pass into air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs, move up the
respiratory tract and into the throat, and are swallowed.
➔ When the larvae reach the small intestine, they develop into adult worms.
 Enteriobious vermicularis life cycle

Enterobius vermicularis, commonly known as the human pinworm, has a life cycle that typically
involves two hosts: humans and arthropods. The life cycle is as follows:

Eggs: Female pinworms deposit eggs in the perianal region, usually during the night. The eggs
are small and oval-shaped.
Transmission: Eggs become infective within a few hours after being deposited. They can be
transmitted to others through various means, such as contaminated hands, clothing, bedding, or
airborne dust.
Ingestion: The primary host, humans, become infected when they inadvertently ingest the
infective eggs, often by touching contaminated surfaces and then placing their hands near their
mouth.
Hatch and development: Once ingested, the eggs hatch in the small intestine, and the larvae
mature into adult worms in the colon.
Mating and egg-laying: Adult female pinworms migrate to the perianal region, usually during
the night, to lay their eggs. This process can cause itching and discomfort.
Reinfection: Scratching the perianal area may lead to contamination of hands and undergarments
with eggs, facilitating self-reinfection or transmission to others.

This cycle repeats, contributing to the persistence of pinworm infections.

Trichinella spiralls life cycle

Trichinella spiralis has a complex life cycle. It typically involves three main stages:
Adult Worms in Host Muscle: Adult worms reside in the small intestine of the host (often
mammals, including humans), where they reproduce. The female releases larvae.
Larvae Formation: Larvae migrate to the muscle tissues, where they encapsulate themselves in
cysts. This is the infective stage for the next host.
Transmission to New Host: The life cycle continues when a new host consumes raw or
undercooked meat containing these encysted larvae. Once ingested, the larvae are released in the
host's digestive system, where they mature into adults, restarting the cycle.

This cycle emphasizes the importance of proper cooking practices to prevent the transmission of
Trichinella spiralis to humans.

Life cycle of Wuchereria spp.,

The life cycle of Wuchereria spp., which are filarial nematodes responsible for lymphatic
filariasis in humans, involves different stages. The adult worms live in the lymphatic system,
where they produce microfilariae. These microfilariae circulate in the blood and are ingested by
mosquitoes during a blood meal.

Within the mosquito, the microfilariae develop into infective larvae. When the mosquito bites a
human, it injects these infective larvae into the bloodstream. The larvae then migrate to the
lymphatic system, where they mature into adult worms, completing the life cycle.