Contents
Is a trematode a parasite?
Trematodes, also known as flukes, are parasitic nonsegmented flatworms belonging to the class Trematoda in the phylum Platyhelminthes.
What are the symptoms of trematode?
Symptoms can include fever, nausea, swollen liver, skin rashes and severe abdominal pain. The chronic phase begins when the worms reach the bile ducts, mature and start producing eggs. These eggs are released into the bile then reach the intestine before being evacuated in faeces.
What causes trematode?
Foodborne trematodes cause infection in humans via the consumption of contaminated food (raw fish, crustaceans or vegetables). Infection can result in severe liver and lung disease and together these diseases are estimated to cause 2 million life years lost to disability and death worldwide every year.
Why are trematodes called flukes?
Trematodes, also called flukes, cause various clinical infections in humans. The parasites are so named because of their conspicuous suckers, the organs of attachment (trematos means “pierced with holes”). All the flukes that cause infections in humans belong to the group of digenetic trematodes.
Is Turbellaria a parasite?
Members of all classes except Turbellaria are parasitic during all or part of the life cycle.
How is trematode treated?
Praziquantel remains the drug of choice for all trematode infections except fascioliasis, for which triclabendazole is the drug of choice. Triclabendazole was approved in the United States in 2019 for fascioliasis in patients aged 6 years or older after being available from the CDC for many years.
How are trematodes diagnosed?
Detection of antigen in the stool (coproantigen) is a nonmicroscopic method of diagnosis for intestinal trematodes. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a monoclonal antibody to an 89-kd antigen of O viverrini has been used to detect coproantigen in the stool of individuals with O pisthorchis infection.
How are trematodes treated in humans?
How do humans get liver flukes?
People usually become infected by eating raw watercress or other water plants contaminated with immature parasite larvae. The young worms move through the intestinal wall, the abdominal cavity, and the liver tissue, into the bile ducts, where they develop into mature adult flukes that produce eggs.
What kind of parasites are in the trematoda class?
Trematoda is a class within the phylum Platyhelminthes. It includes two groups of parasitic flatworms, known as flukes . They are internal parasites of molluscs and vertebrates. Most trematodes have a complex life cycle with at least two hosts.
What is the medical definition of a trematode?
[trem′ətōd] Etymology: Gk, trematodes, pierced. any species of flatworm of the class Trematoda, some of which are parasitic to humans, infecting the liver, the lungs, and the intestines. Kinds of trematodes include the organisms causing clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, paragonimiasis, schistosomiasis. See also fluke.
How does a trematode infect a vertebrate host?
The cercariae then could either infect a vertebrate host or a second intermediate host. Adult metacercariae or mesocercariae, depending on the individual trematode’s life cycle, will then infect the vertebrate host or be rejected and excreted through the rejected host’s faeces or urine.
How many species of trematodes are there in the world?
The trematodes or flukes include 18,000 to 24,000 species, divided into two subclasses. Nearly all trematodes are parasites of mollusks and vertebrates.