Helminths Classification Quiz

Helminths Classes

• Cestodes, Nematodes, and Trematodes are classes of helminths mentioned in the text.

Trematodes

• Most trematodes possess a flat, leaf-like body shape.

Trematodes Life Cycle

• The primary host for the evolutionary cycle of trematodes is usually a snail.

Fasciola Hepatica

• Fasciola hepatica frequently parasitizes herbivores, especially sheep and cattle.
• Humans usually become the primary hosts for Fasciola hepatica by ingesting contaminated water or plants.
• Adult Fasciola hepatica worms are approximately 2-3 cm in length.
• Adults of Fasciola hepatica parasitize the liver and bile ducts.
• The main reservoir of infection for Fasciola hepatica is infected snails.
• Humans become infected with Fasciola hepatica by ingesting metacercariae-contaminated plants or water.
• The typical pathogenesis of Fasciola hepatica infection in humans involves an acute phase with invasive symptoms, followed by a chronic phase with biliary symptoms.
• The oval, operculate eggs of Fasciola hepatica found in faeces are typically 130-150 μm in length.
• The recommended treatment for Fasciola hepatica infection is triclabendazole.
• The laboratory test especially useful in the acute phase of Fasciola hepatica infection is an ELISA for antibodies against Fasciola hepatica.
• According to WHO (2021), the incidence of Fasciola hepatica infection in humans has increased over the past 20 years.
• The most common clinical presentation in infected individuals is abdominal pain, fever, and liver dysfunction.

Schistosomes

• Schistosomes have a unique characteristic: they have a distinct, bifurcated tail in their cercarial stage, which most trematodes do not.