Gastrointestinal Helminths

Parasitic worms, including tapeworms and roundworms, that can be seen with the naked eye or microscopically.

Round, non-segmented worms with a complete digestive tract.

Flat, multicellular worms, includes flukes (trematodes) and tapeworms (cestodes).

Giant intestinal roundworm, the most common worm infection worldwide.

Helminth infections are often acquired by ingesting eggs or larvae in contaminated food, soil, or water, or by infected insect vectors (e.g. flies).

Ascaris eggs hatch in the small intestine, then migrate through blood vessels to the liver and lungs. Larvae then move up the trachea, are swallowed, and mature into adults in the intestines, releasing eggs in feces.

Infection with ascaris worms (nematodes), may be asymptomatic if the number of worms is low. Heavy infestations can lead to intestinal blockages and damage.

The number of ascaris worms in a person's intestines.

Hookworms, unlike ascaris, burrow through the skin, usually feet. Infection occurs through contaminated soil.

Contamination of food or water by human feces, which can harbor parasitic eggs like ascaris or hookworm.

The pathway of ascaris larvae through the body, from intestines to liver, then to the lungs, before returning to the intestines.

The process by which a parasite like ascaris or hookworm affects the host body.

Hookworms attach to the intestinal wall using their teeth and secrete an anticoagulant to prevent blood clotting. They then feed on the host's blood, causing chronic anemia if the infection is severe.

Female pinworms migrate out of the rectum at night to lay eggs in the perianal region, causing intense itching.

Pinworm eggs are ingested through household dust, often spread through scratching and contact with contaminated objects.

When a person re-infects themselves with pinworms by ingesting eggs through their own fingers.

The medical term for a pinworm infection.

The main symptom of a pinworm infection, caused by the female worms laying eggs in the area around the anus.

The scientific term for itching around the anus, a common symptom of pinworm infection.

After entering the body through the skin, some nematode larvae migrate through the liver and lungs before reaching the intestines to mature.

Heavy hookworm infections can cause severe anemia due to blood loss from the worms feeding on the host's blood.

A method used to diagnose pinworm infection by collecting eggs from the perianal region using a tongue depressor with sticky tape.

Tiny, glass-like eggs of parasitic worms that are often found near the anus of infected individuals.

Flat, leaf-like parasitic worms that are hermaphroditic and require a snail as an intermediate host.

Another name for trematodes, these parasitic worms can infect various organs, including the intestines, liver, or lungs.

A host organism that is necessary for a parasite to complete its life cycle, but it's not the final host and can't become fully mature.

The final host for a parasite, where the adult stage develops and reproduces.

A large intestinal fluke, known as the 'giant intestinal fluke,' which can infect humans by consuming infected water plants.

Parasitic tapeworms with a segmented body, a scolex (head) with hooks and suckers, and a neck region.

The head of a tapeworm, equipped with hooks and suckers for attaching to the intestinal wall of the host.

Helminths are often spread through contaminated food, water, or soil, or by insect vectors like flies, due to the ingestion of eggs or larvae.

Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are cylindrical, non-segmented worms with a complete digestive system. They're often found in the intestines of humans.

Flatworms, or Platyhelminthes, include two types: trematodes (flukes) and cestodes (tapeworms). Trematodes are non-segmented, while cestodes have segmented bodies.

Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common helminth infection worldwide, causing a high number of worm infections globally.

An inanimate object that can carry infectious agents, like bacteria or parasites. This includes surfaces like doorknobs, toys, and utensils.

An infection caused by the Ascaris lumbricoides roundworm. It can be asymptomatic (no symptoms) with a low number of worms, but heavy infections can lead to serious complications.

A large number of parasitic worms, like Ascaris, residing in a person's intestines. This can cause serious problems like intestinal obstructions and malnutrition.

Unlike Ascaris, which enters the body through ingestion, hookworms infect through skin penetration. The eggs are found in soil, and the larvae burrow through your skin, usually between the toes, to reach the intestines.

Trematodes, also known as flukes, are flat, non-segmented worms with both male and female sexual organs (hermaphrodites). They have a complex life cycle with two hosts: an intermediate host (snails) and a definitive host (humans).

Trematodes are usually transmitted to humans through contaminated water, aquatic plants, or animals found in water. They infect snails first, then humans.

The intermediate host is an organism that is necessary for the parasite to complete its life cycle but it's not the final host and can't become fully mature. For trematodes, the intermediate host is a snail.

The final host for a parasite is where the adult stage develops and reproduces. For trematodes, the definitive host is humans.

Trematodes can infect various organs of the body depending on the species, including the intestines, liver, or lungs.

Fasciolopsis buski is a type of trematode known as the 'giant intestinal fluke' because it's the largest fluke that infects humans and lives in the intestines.

Fasciolopsis buski is transmitted to humans by ingesting the larval form found on water plants, particularly chestnuts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.

Cestodes, also known as tapeworms, are flat, segmented worms with a head called a scolex that has hooks and suckers used to attach to the intestinal wall.

The three sections of a cestode are the scolex (head), the neck region, and the body which consists of many segments.