ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES

PHYLUM NEMATODA

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom Animalia (animals) Phylum Nematoda (roundworms) Class Secernentea Order Ascaridida Family Ascarididae Genus Ascaris (intestinal roundworms) Species Ascaris lumbricoides (human intestinal roundworm)

INTRODUCTION
Ascaris lumbricoides is the giant roundworm of humans, belonging to the phylum Nematoda. A. lumbricoides is among the largest and most common human infections worldwide. Infecting children, more than adults, A. lumbricoides can be found in 1 in 4 humans internationally. Ascaris lumbricoides is known as roundworm that is commonly found as intestinal parasite in vertebrates like man, pig, cattle etc. It is cosmopolitan in distribution but abundant in tropical countries.

MORPHOLOGY

MORPHOLOGY
Ascaris lumbricoides is characterized by its great size. Males are 24 mm in diameter and 1531 cm long. The males' posterior end is curved ventrally and has a bluntly pointed tail. Females are 36 mm wide and 2049 cm long. The vulva is located in the anterior end and accounts for about a one third of its body length. Uteri may contain up to 27 million eggs at a time with 200,000 being laid per day. Fertilized eggs are oval to round in shape and are 45-75 micrometers long and 35-50 micrometers wide with a thick outer shell. Unfertilized eggs measure 8894 micrometers long and 44 micrometers wide.

MORPHOLOGY
Ascaris is a cylindrical worm, white to light pinkish in colour, tapering at both ends. The triangular mouth is surrounded by one mid-dorsal and two ventrolateral lips. The dorsal lip has two double sensory papillae and ventrolateral lip carries one double sensory papilla each. The ventrolateral lips also have a lateral papilla each and a chemoreceptor called amphid. Tail is straight in female and carries a transverse anus and a chemoreceptor called amphid between the anus and the tip of tail. In male the tail is curved and anus is replaced by cloaca from which two equal chitinous spicules or penial setae project out. In male two rows of preanal papillae and single and double postanal papillae are present.

ADULT MALE MORPHOLOGY

ADULT FEMALE MORHOLOGY

OVA/EGGS

ULTRA STRUCTURE AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROGRAPH OF THE LIPS OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT.

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT (2 days)

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT (4 days)

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT (6 days)

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT (8 days)

STAGES IN EGG DEVELOPMENT (10 days)

Infective egg

Emegrence of rhabditiform

Rhabditiform larvae

MORPHOLOGY OF RHABDITIFORM LARVAE

SURFACE AND REGIONAL ANATOMY

SKIN
Epidermis is the outermost syncytial layer covered on the outer surface by cuticle, which is a thick, transparent and noncellular layer secreted by the underlying epidermis. Epidermis is also called hypodermis as it lies below the thick layer of cuticle. Below the skin muscles form a single layer of spindle-shaped cells that line the body cavity. The muscle layer is divided into four longitudinal columns, two dorso-lateral and two ventrolateral. Circular muscles are altogether absent.

PSEUDOCOELOM
Pseudocoelom is characteristic body cavity of round worms. It is filled with protein rich pseudocoelomic fluid and carries five giant mesenchyme cells, known as pseudocoelomocytes that occupy fixed positions in the anterior third of the body. Pseudocoelomic fluid is composed of about 93% water and substances such as protein, glucose, non-protein nitrogenous substances, sodium chloride and phosphate.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Alimentary canal is a straight tube extending from mouth to anus and comprises mouth, a short pharynx or oesophagus, a long tubular intestine and a short rectum. Mouth is triradiate leading to pharynx or oesophagus that opens posteriorly into a thin walled dorsoventrally flattened intestine or midgut, which extends to the entire length of body. The posterior part of intestine opens into rectum that terminates in anus or cloaca. Food consists of blood which is sucked by the pumping action of pharynx. Digestion is extracellular in intestine. Digested food is absorbed by the intestinal cells and distributed by the pseudocoelomic fluid. Some intestinal cells also engulf small particles by phagocytosis and digest them intracellularly. Food digested by the host intestine is also directly absorbed through the skin.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Ascaris respires anaerobically because of lack of oxygen in host intestine. In this process, glycogen undergoes glycolysis and finally yields carbon dioxide, fatty acids and energy. Aerobic respiration also seems occur if free oxygen is available in host intestine, as small amount of cytochrome is present in round worms.

EXCRETORY SYSTEM
There is a single giant H-shaped rennet cell forming excretory system. It consists of two lateral longitudinal excretory canals, connected below the pharynx by transverse canalicular network. A short terminal excretory duct extends from the left side of canalicular network to the excretory pore situated midventrally on the anterior side of body. Nitrogenous wastes, chiefly urea, are collected from different parts of body. Pressure of pseudocoelomic fluid helps in ultrafiltration.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
The nervous system consists of circumpharyngeal ring that carries a dorsal ganglion, a subdorsal ganglion, lateral ganglia and ventral ganglion. From the circumpharyngeal ring six small nerves supply the sense organs of the anterior side Posteriorly six longitudinal nerves arise from the ring and reach the posterior end. They are mid dorsal nerve, mid ventral nerve, one pair of dorsolateral nerves and one pair of ventrolateral nerves. The dorsal and ventral nerves are connected by a number of transverse commissures.

SENSE ORGANS
The sense organs are as follows: Labial papillae are gustoreceptors and are present on three lips. Cervical papillae are tactile organs. Anal papillae are situated below the posterior end of male. There are 5 pairs of postanal genital papillae and 50 pairs of preanal papillae. They are tactile in function and help in copulation. Amphids, present on each lateroventral lip, are chemoreceptors. Phasmids are chemoreceptors that open one on either side of tail of female.

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Sexes are separate, readily distinguishable by the tail and cloaca. Male reproductive organs are confined to the posterior part of the body and consist of testis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle, ejaculatory duct and penial setae. The testis is a long, thread-like, coiled tube that continues distally into a short and thick vas deferens. The vas deferens joins posteriorly with a straight tube called seminal vesicle, which narrows at its posterior end to form a short but muscular ejaculatory duct which opens into the cloaca. Dorsal to the cloaca is a pair of penial sacs that contain a pair of spicules or penial setae, which serve in copulation. Female reproductive organs consist of ovaries, oviducts, uteri and vagina. Ovaries are long, thread-like and highly twisted and lead to broader oviducts. Each oviduct continues into still broader and muscular uterus. The first part of uterus serves as seminal receptacle where sperms are stored and fertilization occurs. The remaining part of uterus stores fertilized eggs and its glands produce yolk and material for egg shells. The two uteri unite and open into a short median, muscular vagina that opens by a transverse gonopore to the outside.

LETS SEE IF WE CAN IDENTIFY SOME OF THE FEATURES.

FEMALE REGIONAL ANATOMY

MALE REGIONAL ANATOMY

INTERNAL STRUCTURES a look at the paramicroscopic details so small

INTERNAL STRUCTURES a look at the paramicroscopic details so small

WELL LABELLED DIAGRAM OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES(Integrated Principles of Zoology by Hickmann, Roberts et al)

LIFE CYCLE

STAGES IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF A.lumbricoides

Infection follows after fertilised eggs are accidentally swallowed. They can be acquired from dirty fingers, water or food that has been contaminated with feces of an infected human After the ingestion of embryonated eggs in contaminated food or drink or from contaminated fingers, host digestive juices acts on the egg shell and liberate the larva into the small intestine

These larvae penetrate the intestinal mucosa and enter lymphatics and mesenteric vessels They are carried by circulation to the liver, right heart and finally to the lungs where they penetrate the capillaries into the alveoli in which they molt twice and stay for 10-14days and then they are carried, or migrate, up the bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea to the epiglottis. When swallowed, the larvae pass down into the small intestine where they develop into adults The migration is needed for the larvae to develop into adults. Adult worms attach themselves to the intestinal wall ready to mate. Adults survive by eating food digested by the host and live up to 2 years. This worm lives in the lumen of small intestine, feeding on the intestinal contents, where the fertilized female lays eggs. An adult female can produce approximately 240,000 eggs per day, which are passed in feces. When passed, the eggs are unsegmented and require outside development of about three weeks until a motile embryo is formed within the egg.

The eggs fertilize into infective stage within a few weeks in the right conditions in the soil. Unfertilized eggs are not infective. The eggs are very resistant to chemicals, extreme temperatures and other rough conditions and can survive for months. The time from the ingestion of embryonated eggs to oviposition by the females is about 60-75 days. The adult worms live for about one year. The ascarid life cycle is as the following diagram.

MONSTERS INSIDE OF ME
COUGH

Phases of the life cycle

1. Site of inhabitation: small intestine 2. Infetive stage: embryonated eggs 3. Route of infection: by mouth 4. No intermediate and reservoir hosts 5. Life span of the adult: about 1 year

PARASITIC ADAPTATIONS
Ascaris exhibits the following anatomical and physiological adaptations to live as endoparasite in the intestine of man. Body is long, flexible and cylindrical in shape with both the ends pointed to adjust to the narrow lumen of intestine. 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.

PARASITIC ADAPTATION cont.d

There is a continuous supply of food digested by the host intestine, which it 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. 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 in the course of transfer to the host.

PARASITIC ADAPTATIONS cont.d

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.

PATHOGENESIS
There are two phase in ascariasis: 1. The blood-lung migration phase of the larvae: During the migration through the lungs, the larvae may cause a pneumonia. The symptoms of the pneumonia are low fever, cough, blood-tinged sputum, asthma. Large numbers of worms may give rise to allergic symptoms. Eosionophilia is generally present. These clinical manifestation is also called Loefflers syndrome. 2. The intestinal phase of the adults. The presence of a few adult worms in the lumen of the small intestine usually produces no symptoms, but may give rise to vague abdominal pains or intermittent colic, especially in children. A heavy worm burden can result in malnutrition. More serious manifestations have been observed. Wandering adults may block the appendical lumen or the common bile duct and even perforate the intestinal wall. Thus complications of ascariasis, such as intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, biliary ascariasis, perforation of the intestine, cholecystitis, pancreatitis and peritonitis, etc., may occur, in which biliary ascariasis is the most common complication.

INTERESTING EMAILS

Prevention and Treatment

1.Treatment to ascariasis:Mebendazole, Albendazole and Levamizole are effective. 2.Sanitary disposal of feces. 3.Hygienic habits such as cleaning of hands before meals. 4.Health education.

THIS VIDEO SHOWS THE SURGICAL REMOVAL OF ASCARIS FROM AN INFECTED PATIENT
C:\Users\Obuekwe Chukwuemeka\Downloads\Video\Ascaris worms in CBD.MPG.mp4

SOME COOL PICTURES

ASCARIS WORMS IN THE INTESTINE

AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS UNDERGOING THERAPY

ASCARIS INFECTION IN HAITI AND PARAGUAY

CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS

ASCARIS(ROUNDWORM) THE ONLY NEMATODE EVER COUGHED OR VOMITED UP

ASCARIASIS

ANY QUESTIONS???????????????????????????????

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