Most species of organisms existing on our planet for many centuries followed the path of evolution and biological progress. However, there are representatives of nature, which greater success was achieved in an entirely different way – regress, or simplification of the organization. How it happened and how it can be useful? It turns out that this is a necessary condition for conducting a parasitic way of life. Particularly well to adapt to life at the expense of others managed different types of worms – worms, about which we’ll talk further.
Structure of parasitic worms
The helminths, or parasitic worms, include those organisms that have adapted to live inside mammals and other creatures, including the human, causing its vital functions serious damage to health and even life of the owner. Each parasitic worm is able to change over the life cycle of several owners. It is important to maintain the number and survival of eggs of future generation.
Of Course, each class has representatives who, in turn, endowed with peculiarities that distinguish them from each other and allowing to be a unique parasites. However, it is possible to highlight some common characteristics possessed by every parasitic worm.
- The structure of the body there are organs that serve for anchoring in the host body. Examples: suction cups, hooks.
- The Presence of specific layers of the body, not allowing the host organism to digest them.
- Leaving the offspring to several million eggs at a time and a complicated structure of the reproductive system (often androgynous type).
- A Regression in the structure of all the senses. Digestive and excretory system as simple as possible in structure and functionality. Breathing is done through the body surface.
- Ability to reproduce even at the larval stage.
All these features make different types of parasitic worms easy universal and very dangerous creatures that have a huge survival rate.
Classification of worms-parasites
There are two major groups of similar organisms.
- A Type of flatworm. What parasitic forms are classes Tape, Flukes. Types of parasitic flatworms: beef tapeworm, pork tapeworm, broad tapeworm, Echinococcus, cat Fluke, shistosoma, leucochloridium paradoxical, Fluke and others.
- A Type of Round worms. The class Actually roundworms. Examples of organisms: anisakid, pinworm, roundworm, hookworm, Guinea worm, whipworm, Trichinella, filaria and others.
Types of parasitic worms is very diverse. All scientists produce about 300 representatives, who can dwell in the body of a man, not to mention other animals. The harm to these creatures truly are sometimes irreparable.
Class Actually roundworms: parasitic forms
Compared to flat worms, this group in terms of the body structure is more advanced. So, this class of parasitic worms has the following features.
- Males have testes and the ejaculatory canal opens into the posterior intestine. Females – ovaries, combining a total vagina. Reproduction only sexual.
- Low ability to regenerate lost body parts, as the number of cells is limited.
- Appears the anus. Thus, the digestive system has the form of a simple tube, which consists of the oral part, the middle and the anal canal.
- Nervous system ganglia. While quite simple, but nevertheless existing.
- Excretory system of the type protonefridiev.
- Covers the body of a three-layer, outer – hypodermis. She not only performs a protective role, but also the function of the skeleton. In the same pass metabolism.
- Centre of busy pseudo-purpose body is a cavity in which is located the liquid. She plays the role of blood.
The Parasitic worm of this class may lead different lifestyles. So, allocate a bio and geophysical. To Bioelements should include those species that in the course of life are replaced by multiple hosts and thus spread. To geohelminths – those whose spread is happening in the external environment.
Whipworm
This parasitic round worm refers to geohelminths, because he for reproduction growth and development we need two conditions:
- The presence of the human body;
- Conventional wet earth.
With such modest needs is not surprising that the prevalence of this helminth is very large. By itself, the adult worm rarely reaches a length of 5 cm. Males and females differ in the rear end of the body: the first is thick and spirally twisted, and the second elongated filiform.
Feeds the parasite is not the contents of the intestine of man, namely his blood, so the treatment from exposure and require special. It deeply affects the intestinal wall, so may cause inflammation. Striking the body with their waste products.
The Disease is caused by this creature called trihozefalez. Infection occurs through tactile contact with dirty vegetables and fruits with water. It is on these objects arebochonkovidnaya eggs of parasites that reach maturity within the body after a few weeks.
Eggs Excreted with faeces and development receive in the environment in warm, humid earth. Back again the man swallowed.
Pinworm
A Parasitic round worm that is found in almost every second child can be present in the adult. Small white parasites, rarely reaching a length of more than 5 mm. Their main feature, allowing so widely spread is the lack of a change of owner. They are parasites within the body, eating the contents of his stomach.
The Night come out of the anal opening and the circumference of the anus lay a lot of eggs. This causes the child itching and irritation, he begins unconsciously in my sleep to scratch this place. So the eggs get under nails, where once again in the oral cavity and on the surrounding objects.
After oviposition, the female dies. Therefore, in the case where reinfection is not observed, it is possible to cure the body without medical intervention. The disease caused by pinworms is called enterobiasis.
Trichinella
The Parasitic worm is very small in size. Rarely reaches a length of 3.5 mm. the Males are smaller. Refers to Bioelements. Parasites in man and mammals. Amaze the muscles, as settle and dwell in them. Each female can lay a lot of eggs (up to 2 thousand) and then to die.
About two months from the eggs come the larvae, which flow of lymph and blood spread throughout the body, strengthening muscles and disrupting their normal work. The disease is called trichinosis, if contaminated by parasites it can be fatal.
Flat Type, class tapeworms
The Representatives of this type can be both free-living and parasitic forms. They all share some features in the structure of the body.
- Bilateral symmetry.
- The Lack of a body cavity.
- A Tremendous ability to regenerate.
- Simplified digestive system.
- The Vast majority of species are hermaphrodites.
The Main parasites are two classes – tapeworms and Flukes.
A tapeworm and Echinococcus
A tapeworm is a parasitic tapeworm, replacing three hosts for life. The first of these are crustaceans, the second is Pisces, the third and final man. The length of these worms can be up to several meters. They feed on the contents of the intestine than cause a sharp starvation and lack of substances for the life of the owner.
Infection occurs through the fish that eats people. The disease is called difillobotrioz.
Echinococcus is also a parasitic tapeworm. Its peculiarity is that man for him – an intermediate host. The dogs and wolves. However, once in the human body, larvae are carried by blood flow. Then come the larvae oncospheres. They form a bubble that begins to grow gradually. This disease is called hydatid disease.
Both of the species of the parasite have several rows of hooks for grasping rooting in the host organism than cause additional harm and cause pain. Also common and terrible parasites from the tape are cepni – bovine and porcine.
Shistosoma and leucochloridium paradoxical
Some of the parasitic worms, the characteristic change of the owner with participation of gastropods? The answer is: it is for a lot of flukes. It’s worms that have numerous suction cups. That is what they fixed in the body of the definitive host, which is man.
Shistosoma is a infection which occurs when bathing in the water where the larvae swim. Feed on blood of mammals. Their main danger is the spikes on the body, they pierce the walls of internal organs, causing inflammation, the appearance of cysts, tumors. To recover from these parasites difficult.
Leucochloridium paradoxical – he uses gastropods as one of the owners. The final item for the life of this worm have chosen birds. It is interesting that in the body of the snail, the larva grows and becomes so convex, which is visible from the outside. It resembles the bright green caterpillar, which attracts birds. They eat it, resulting in infection.
Measures to combat parasitic worms
The Fight against parasitic worms is not easy. Most importantly, the careful observance of all necessary measures of prevention. Great importance has personal and public hygiene. Without this to deal with helminth eggs is impossible. Secondly, it is, of course, good thermal processing of food products.
The Treatment for each species of parasite is strictly individual and is prescribed by a doctor. Most often it is pills (“Vermoxum”, “Dekaris”, “Pyrantel”, etc.). However, in more severe cases, a necessary and injections, IV, radiation and other types of exposure.
