PHYLUM

NEMATHELMINTHES
 CLASS NEMATODA
General Characteristics
“ROUNDWORMS”
 long, cylindrical and elongated.
 Anterior end -with hooks, teeth, plates
and papillae
Supporting body wall consists of (1) an
outer, hyaline, non-cellular cuticle, (2)
subcuticular epithelium; and (3) a layer of
muscle cells.
 CLASS NEMATODA
General Characteristics
- with separate sexes, although some may
be parthenogenic
-with amphids and phasmids
3 Aphasmid worms: Trichuris, Trichinella
and Capillaria
 CLASS NEMATODA
General Characteristics
With alimentary tract. There is no circulatory
system.
Life cycle- egg stage-larval stage-adult stage
 Some of the nematodes are:
Oviparous- [ Ascaris lumbricoides]
Ovoviviparous/Oviviparous- [Enterobius
vermicularis]
Viviparous/larviparous- [Trichinella spiralis;
Filaria]
 Ascaris lumbricoides
 Common Name: Giant/Large
Intestinal Roundworm
 Resembles the common earthworm
 Habitat: small intestine
 Soil transmitted helminths or
geohelminth
 Parasite specific for man
 Ascaris lumbricoides
 Polymyarian type
 Adult: White, cream or pinkish
yellow when fresh
 Adult Male: curved tail, 10-31 cm
by 3mm
 Adult Female: straight pointed
posterior end, 22-35 cm by 5 mm
Adult Ascaris
Ascaris lumbricoides
anterior end
 Ascaris lumbricoides
Adult female can produce 200,000
( 240,000) eggs per day
 65 million fertilized eggs
Eggs can either be:
 fertilizedegg- 45 to 70 by 35 to 50 um
ovoidal, golden brown, very thick egg
shell; inside is a set of organized germ
cell
 unfertilized egg/infertile- 88 to 94 by 39 to
44 um, irregularly ovoidal, larger, longer
and narrower, thin shell & irregular
mammilated coating
Characteristics of egg
Dryness is unfavorable for survival
Eggs are destroyed by direct
sunlight
Killed at temperature above 40 C
Can survive freezing temp.
Resistant to chemical disinfectant
and can withstand temporary
immersion in strong chemicals.
Unfertilized Egg
 No Vitelline
membrane (absent
in unfertilized egg)
 With LECITHIN
GRANULES
 Glycogen layer
 Albuminous
mammilation
 (+) corticated
 (-) decorticated
Unfertilized Egg
Three layers of Fertilized Egg:

 Inner Vitelline
membrane
(absent in
unfertilized egg)
 Glycogen layer
 Albuminous
mammilation
 (+) corticated
 (-) decorticated
Fertilized Egg
Fertilized
Embryonated Egg
EMBRYONATED EGG
Corticated Ascaris Eggs- with
albuminous mamillation
 Decorticated Ascaris Eggs-
without albuminous mamillation
or mamillary coating
Life Cycle
 PATHOLOGY
 Ascariasis
 Usual infection of 10-20 worms may not
show symptoms
 Causes Ascaris pneumonitis- chest pain,
cough, fever, increased EOSINOPHIL
(with heart to lung migration)
 lung infiltration, asthmatic attacks and
edema of the lips
 Difficulty of breathing
 Can be found in the brain, spinal
membranes, spinal cord, eyeball
and kidneys
 Decrease fat and nitrogen
absorption
 Increase nitrogen loss in feces
 Malabsorption and intolerance of
lactose
 Decrease growth in children
 Heavy infection can cause
obstruction, intussusception or
volvulus
Physical effects
Diarrhea
Vague abdominal pain
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Vomited ascaris
May invade appendix
May be seen in the bile duct,
liver parenchyma, gall bladder
May block pancreatic duct
Perforate the bowel and cause
acute peritonitis or chronic
granulomatous peritonitis
 May also irritate nerve ending in
the mucosa and result in
intestinal spasm leading to
intestinal obstruction
A large mass of Ascaris coming
from the intestinal tract
 Diagnosis
Direct
Fecal
Smear (DFS)
 Direct Fecal Smear
Formed stool-
add one drop of
Normal Saline Solution
In the slide
Watery stool-
no need

Fecal Sample
Spread the
fecal sample
on the slide
Microscopic
Exam
*Observe for
Ascaris egg
and quantitate the ova
Stool exam may give a
negative findings in the following
conditions:
Patient is free from infection
Early stage of infection
Larval migration
Only male worms are present in
the intestine
 Diagnosis
 Kato Katz technique
 Place 50-60 grams of stool in a
slide.
 Cover with cellophane (soaked in
glycerine malachite green for 24
hours)
 Press with rubber stopper. Leave
for 10-20 minutes. Examine.
Kato Katz Technique

 Kato-set
 (Template with hole, screen,
nylon or plastic, plastic
spatula)
 Newspaper or glazed tile
 Microscope slides
 Cellophane as cover slip,
soaked in Glycerol-malachite
green solution
 Fresh stool
 Gloves
Kato Katz Technique

Prepare
the layer
glazed tile
or
newspaper
Kato Katz Technique

Place the
template
with
hole in the
centre of a
microscope
slide
Kato Katz Technique

 Place a small
amount of
fecal material
on the
newspaper or
the glazed
tile.
Kato Katz Technique

 Press the screen

on top so
that some of the
feces
filters through and
scrape
with the flat spatula
across
the upper surface to
collect
the filtered feces.
Kato Katz Technique

 Add the
collected
feces in
the hole of the
template so
that it is
completely
filled.
Kato Katz Technique

Remove the
template
carefully so
that the
cylinder
of feces is left
on the slide.
Kato Katz Technique

Cover the
fecal
material
with the
pre-soaked
cellophane
strip.
Kato Katz Technique
 Invert the
microscope slide
and firmly press
the fecal sample
against the
cellophane strip
on a smooth hard
surface such as a
tile. The material
will be spread
evenly.
Kato Katz Technique
 Carefully remove
the slide by
gently sliding it
sideways to
avoid separating
the cellophane
strip. Place the
slide with the
cellophane
upwards.
 Relative efficiency of DFS, Kato and FECT in
the recovery of helminth eggs and larvae
(Jueco, 1976)
Helminth eggs, No. of Technique
larvae and positive
protozoan cysts stools DFS Kato FECT
examined No. of No. of No. of
positive positive positive
stools (%) stools (%) stools (%)

Unfertilized 500 349 (69.8) 382 (78.4) 184 (38.8)

Ascaris eggs
NEEDAscaris
Fertilized FOR APPROPRIATE
463 LABORATORY
390 (84.4) 437 (94.4) METHOD
432 (93.3)
FOR PROPER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
eggs
Trichuris eggs 1021 683 (67.9) 961 (94.1) 971 (95.1)
THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT FECT/Kato > DFS
Hookworm eggs 111 32 (28.8) 42 (37.8) 65 (58.6)
NEED FOR ADEQUATE TRAINING
Strongyloides
AND 19
PROFICIENCY 10 LABORATORY
OF (52.6) 5 (26.3) STAFF
15 (78.9)
larvae
 Epidemiology
 Endemic in many countries with warm
moist climate ( Southeast Asia, Africa,
central and South America);
cosmopolitan distribution, 1.2 billion
have ascariasis & 2,000 die annually
 Estimated ¼ of the world is infected
 High prevalence in children 5-15 yrs old
 In the Philippines, prevalence rate is 80-
90% in rural areas, poor slum sections
 Treatment, prevention and
control
 Deworming- 3x a year for 3
years( Mebendazole, Albendazole,
Pyrantel pamoate, levamisole,
piperazine salts
 Sanitary disposal of feces
 Personal hygiene
 Avoid the use of feces as fertilizer
 Thorough cooking of food
 WASHED ( water, sanitation, hygiene,
education, deworming framework)
 WOW in Binan, LAguna
 ASCARIS INFECTION IN
ANIMALS
Toxocara canis- Ascarid of DOG
Toxocara cati- Ascarid of CAT
ANY QUESTIONS???
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