Characteristics of platyhelminthes

• Bilateral symmetry
• Dorso-ventral flattening
• Acoelomate –organs embedded in solid
parenchyma
• Flame cell protonephridia for excretion
• Monoecious/hermaphroditic
• Complex life cycles
• Parasitic groups with modified integuments
 Classification of platyhelminthes

Phylum Platyhelminthes

Turbellaria Monogenea Digenea Cestoda

 Digenean features- Paragonimus

1
Life cycle of Paragonimus
The giant crab, second intermediate host for
Paragonimus
Clonorchis
 Clonorchis sinensis
1
Life cycles: Clonorchis
Fasciola
Fasciola gigantica
Fasciola gigantica
Fasciola hepatica life cycle
Schistosoma mansoni adult worm pair
S mansoni adult worm pair
Schistosomes- Life cycle stages
Genus- Biomphalaria, intermediate host snail for S.
mansoni
Bulinus globosus- intgermediate hosts for S.
haematobium
Life cycle of Schistosoma
Schistosomiasis epidemiology
Schistosomiasis epidemiology
Life cycle of schistosomiasis japonicum
Schistosomiasis pathology – ascites, anaemia, hepato-
splenomegaly, physical retardation etc.
Prevention and control
•Educate people to not
urinate or defecate in
fresh water supplies
•Eliminate snail vectors
by making the water
habitat unsuitable
(increase water flow,
remove vegetation)
•Provide piped water to
avoid direct contact with
cercariae
•Mass drug treatment of
communities to reduce
reservoir of infection
Cestodaria: Amphilina
Class Eucestoda
Scolices of Taenia solium and Taenia saginata
Holdfast organs- bothria
Holdfast organs- bothridia
Ultrastructure of cestode integument showing
microtriches
Metacestodes of Eucestoda
Diphyllobothrium latum proglotid
Dyphyllobothrium latum
Life cycles: Diphyllobothrium latum
Taenia solium scolex
Taenia sp Proglottid
Gravid proglottids- Taenia solium, Taenia saginata
Life cycle: Echinococcus
Echinococcus granulosus
Echinococcus granulosus
Mature proglottid of Echinococcus
 Life cycles: Dipylidium

                                                                                     
Hymenolepis nana
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda

• Commonly called roundworms, they

range in size from minute forms to about
2m long.
Main Features
• Cylindrical elongated bodies tapered at
both posterior and anterior ends.
• They have a triploblastic bodies showing
bilateral symmetry and are non-
segmented.
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda
• They possess a pseudocoelomic body
cavity derived from a persistent
blastocoel. The pseundocoelom acts like
an internal hydrostatic skeleton, giving
the animal rigidity and shape.
• Nematodes have a complete digestive
system with a mouth at the anterior tip,
usually surrounded by lips, a muscular
pharynx, a straight intestine and a
subterminal anus near the posterior end.
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda
• The lumen of the muscular pharynx and
most of the intestine is triradiate. The
bodies are covered by a non-cellular
cuticle. An underlying synctial tissue
called the hypodermis secretes this
cuticle. The cuticle is shed 4 times during
development to adulthood.
• The body musculature is one layer thick
and composed of longitudinally arranged
muscle blocks. no circular muscles.
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda

• The female duct opens through a

gonopore while the male system opens
into the rectum (cloaca). Gonads are
usually cylindrical. Males generally have
spicules (calcareous rods), a
gubernaculums and often a copulatory
bursa to aid in copulation
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda

• The nervous system consists of two

concentrations of nerve elements at the
cephalic and caudal ends with ganglia
and longitudinal nerve fibres. Sense
organs include phasmids, aphids and
papillae.
• Nematodes have a fixed number of cells.
Increase in body size during growth
occurs rather than cell division.
 NEMATODES: Phylum Nematoda

• The condition is called eutely.

• Nematodes of medical importance
include Ascaris lumbricoides (the
common intestinal roundworm), Necator
americanus (hookworm) and Wuchereria
bancrofti (filarial worm).
Cross section of nematode body wall
Ascaris
Ascaris - adult worm pair
Ascaris mouth- three lips surround mouth
Ascaris
Life cycles:Ascaris
Ascaris eggs
Helminth eggs
Ascaris lumbricoides
Hookworms
hookworms
Hookworm mouth- two pairs of teeth, no lips
Adult male and female hookworms
Hookworm Corpulatory bursa
Hookworm Corpulatory bursa
Hookworm egg
Life cycles: Hookworm
 Hookworm is a major cause
Epidemiology of anaemia
>1200m infections each year of which
100m are symptomatic
It is due to 2 parasites both of which
occur worldwide:
Necator americanus -
predominant species in sub-
Saharan Africa, south Asia and
the Pacific
Ancylostoma duodenale –
predominant in S. Europe, N.
Africa, western Asia, northern
China, Japan and the west coast
of America
Cutaneous larva migrans
Cutaneous larva migrans
Life cycle: Enterobius
Strongyloides life cycle
Strongyloides stercolaris
Chronic filariasis
Chronic filariasis- hydrocoel and elephantoid changes
Chronic filariasis- elepantiasis
Chronic elephantiasis
Microfilaria
microfilaria
Wuchereria bancrofti
Life cycles:Onchocerca
Life cycles: Loa loa
Filarial worms
Class Adenophorea (Rhabditea):Order
Trichurida- the whipworms
• Class Adenophorea
• Order Trichurida- the whipworms
• Families Trichuridae, Trichinellidae, Capillaridae
• Fam Trichuridae- species Trichuris trichiura, found in
ileocecal junction of humans, long whip-like anterior
end burrowed in intestinal mucosa, feeding on tissue
fluids. Cause severe enteritis, colitis, may lead to rectal
prolapse. Transmitted by injestion of embryonated
eggs through the fecal-oral route just like Ascaris.
Relatives are Trichinella spiralis (fam Trichinellidae,
disease trichinellosis) and Capillaria hepatica (fam
Capillaridae)
Whipworms: Trichuris trichiura adult
female (a) and male (b)
Trichuris trichiura life cycle- The unembryonated eggs are passed with the stool 1
. In the soil, the eggs develop into a 2-cell stage 2 , an advanced cleavage stage
3 , and then they embryonate 4 ; eggs become infective in 15 to 30 days. After
ingestion (soil-contaminated hands or food), the eggs hatch in the small intestine,
and release larvae 5 that mature and establish themselves as adults in the colon
6 . The adult worms (approximately 4 cm in length) live in the cecum and
ascending colon. The adult worms are fixed in that location, with the anterior
portions threaded into the mucosa. The females begin to oviposit 60 to 70 days
after infection. Female worms in the cecum shed between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs
per day. The life span of the adults is about 1 year.
Life cycles: Capillaria