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Concept
Trematoda
Summary
Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes or trematodes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host, where the flukes sexually reproduce, is a vertebrate. Infection by trematodes can cause disease in all five traditional vertebrate classes: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.
Trematodes are commonly referred to as flukes. This term can be traced back to the Old English name for flounder, and refers to the flattened, rhomboidal shape of the organisms.
There are 18,000 to 24,000 known species of trematodes, divided into two subclasses — the Aspidogastrea and the Digenea. Aspidogastrea is the smaller subclass, comprising 61 species. These flukes mainly infect bivalves and bony fishes. Digenea — which comprise the majority of trematodes — are found in certain mollusks and vertebrates.
Flukes that cause disease in humans are often classified based on the organ system they infect. For example:
Blood flukes inhabit the blood in some stages of their life cycle. Blood flukes that cause disease in humans include Trichobilharzia regenti, which causes swimmer's itch, and seven species of genus Schistosoma which cause schistosomiasis: S. guineensis, S.haematobium, S. intercalatum, S. japonicum, S. malayensis, S. mansoni, S. mekongi. As a definitive host, humans are infected when the cercariae (the larval forms of trematodes) penetrate the skin. Any contact with water containing these cercariae can potentially result in infection. Adult blood flukes can live for years in human or animal reservoir hosts. S.haematobium and S. japonicum are of particular importance, as these are carcinogenic parasites. S.haematobium, which infects the urinary bladder, is among the most important causes of bladder cancer in humans. This organism is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 (extensively proven) carcinogen. S.
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Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, or blood in the urine. Those who have been infected for a long time may experience liver damage, kidney failure, infertility, or bladder cancer. In children, it may cause poor growth and learning difficulty. The disease is spread by contact with fresh water contaminated with the parasites.
Freshwater snail
Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks that live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs to major rivers. The great majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions. Some groups of snails that live in freshwater respire using gills, whereas other groups need to reach the surface to breathe air. In addition, some are amphibious and have both gills and a lung (e.
Sucker (zoology)
A sucker in zoology is a specialised attachment organ of an animal. It acts as an adhesion device in parasitic worms, several flatworms, cephalopods, certain fishes, amphibians, and bats. It is a muscular structure for suction on a host or substrate. In parasitic annelids, flatworms and roundworms, suckers are the organs of attachment to the host tissues. In tapeworms and flukes, they are a parasitic adaptation for attachment on the internal tissues of the host, such as intestines and blood vessels.