Cestodes Flashcards
What type of worm are platyhelminthes?
Flatworms
What is a more common name for Class Trematoda?
Flukes
What is a more common name for Class Cestoda?
Tapeworms
What type of life cycle do all tapeworms have?
Indirect
What is the scolex of a tapeworm? Where is it located?
It’s the hold fast organ that allows nutrients to be absorbed across the tegument
It’s located on the anterior end
What is the strobila of a tapeworm?
It is all of the body segments put together
What are the individual body segments of a tapeworm called?
Proglottids
Describe the growth of a tapeworm.
TWs grow longitudinally. There are germinal cells in the neck that will continue adding proglottids.
As the proglottid moves away from the scolex, it starts to mature
What does the term “gravid” mean in terms of tapeworms?
Just means that the proglottid contains eggs
These are the proglottids that will break off from the worm and pass in the feces
What two features of a tapeworm anchor the worm to the SI?
The scolex (using suckers) and the rotellum (tip of the scolex that has hooks)
Do tapeworms have a digestive tract?
No, all of their nutrients come from the environment and are just absorbed across the integument
Where do most adult tapeworms reside and cause infection in their host?
The small intestine
What genus and species is the exception and does not reside in the small intestine as an adult? Where does it reside?
Anoplocephala perfoliata
It infects the cecum around the ileocecal junction
What are the two classes of cestodes (tapeworms) that are of importance to us?
Cyclophyllidea and Pseudophyllidea
What are genital pores used for?
They use the pores to fertilize themselves (they’re hermaphroditic) or other worms
Generally, if there’s more than 1 worm, there’s sexual reproduction
