Helminths, Fungal, & Protozoan Pathogens (Microbiology)

Phylum ____ are also known as roundworms. They commonly inhabit the soil.

Phylum Platyhelminthes are also known as ____. Almost all of them are parasitic.

Helminthic diseases are important because...

• antibiotic resistance is on the rise and the development of new antibiotics is a "broken pipeline"

• they cause only a few neglected tropical diseases, but they tend to be incurable

• even just one species of helminth can infect a billion people worldwide

• all nematodes are obligate parasites, making them very relevant for healthcare

Ascaris lumbricoides...

• is a nematode that causes hookworm infection, invading through exposed feet

• can grow to a foot long or even longer and is initially often asymptomatic

• have eggs that are relatively fragile and easy to disinfect using common chemicals

• infects 200 million people worldwide

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Trichinella spiralis...

• causes the disease known as ascariasis

• is transmitted by eating contaminated lettuce or other vegetables

• invades the muscle cells of their host to form cysts

• is considered a fluke and it belongs to class Trematoda

Trichuris trichiura...

• infects around 500 million people worldwide

• requires multiple hosts to complete its life cycle, which takes place in the blood

• is more commonly known as whipworm and infects the small and large intestine

• can commonly cause seizures and meningitis

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Hookworms, which latch onto the small intestine and feed on your blood, are...

• caused by tapeworms belonging to the genus Ancylostoma

• prevalent in regions of the US with broken down infrastructure

• caused by flukes belonging to the genus Necator

• transmitted through the fecal-oral route

Albendazole, a broad-spectrum antihelminthic drug, works by...

• forcing eggs to hatch prematurely

• blocking microtubule formation

• causing paralysis through calcium influx

• preventing cell wall synthesis

Trematoda, also known as flukes, usually infects all of the following EXCEPT...

• blood

• bile ducts

• epidermis

• liver

All of the following is true about class Cestoda EXCEPT...

• They are commonly known as tapeworms

• They belong to phylum Platyhelminthes

• They attach to the host liver using their scolex

• They shed eggs by detaching body segments called proglottids