Ascaris lumbricoides
| Ascaris lumbricoides |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Binomial Name |
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Ascaris lumbricoides |
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| Image Description |
Body Design
As larvae Ascaris lumbricoidees is only 47-75 um by 35-66 um but as an adult "...they may grow as large as 30cms in length."(http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Ascaris-Lumbricoides.htm) While fully grown the female is longer, a giant intestinal roundworm is usually in a cylindrical round shape, some half centimeter in diameter and 20 to 40cm in length. Usually appearing to be yellow and brown in color.
Life Cycle
After entering the intestine by a male and female come together,"each female worm produces approximately 200,000 fertilized ova per day" (http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2005/Ascaris/JLora_ParaSite.htm,line 55) There is no uni-sexual reproduction in Ascaris lumbricoides, when only a female is present, her eggs go unfertilized, when only a male is present, there are no eggs created.When the eggs are developed into embryos(in sporximatly 3 weeks)they leave the intestine and usually go to the lungs though the parasite has been known to go to the kidney and the brain.After the larvae migrate to the lungs they mature for a period of 9-10 days when they are either excreted or swallowed where they re-enter the intestine as adults and either produce and fertilize eggs if there are adequate partners, if there is no partner to be found the female still produces eggs and the male will simply die off, both will be displaced by elimination of waste and enter human feces, this all takes place on average in the span of 1-2 years. This process begins again by a human eating an animal or plant with giant intestinal roundwormor "intestinal heimeth of human infections as its called"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascaris ,20)
Ecology
Ascaris lumbricoides is parasite by nature. It has been known to spread disease and is often found in tropical to sub-tropical areas. Any offspring of a male and female roundworm is considered to be a parasite as it lives off the body and feces of a human throughout its entire life cycle. It spreads from person to person often by a human eating something that has eaten the feces with Ascaris lumbrcoides. Obviously a way of treating the spread of all Ascaris is sanitation and discretion in eating, though as seen in many victims, the parasite can last a long time before dissapating, whether that be weeks or months or if the life cycle is being completed as long as 2 years per worm. This cycle is fatal, Ascaris lumbricoides is believed to be in 25-33% of the worlds population. Symptoms of this infection are; constipation, mild abdomen pain, blood loss, nausea and bloating, though it is treatable.
References
- Lora, Jessika. Ascariasis. Stanford University. Web. Last Updated December 2004.
- Knott, Laurence. [1]. Ascaris Lumbricodes/Doctor/patien. Web. April 23 2008 (or access).
[2]. Ascaris lumbricoides Round Worm. Web. January 3rd 2007
