2.

Which morphological features differentiate the members of the phylum Annelida from nematodes and
platyhelminthes?
Platyhelminthes are worms with flat bodies (flatworms), whereas nematodes are worms with cylindrical but not
segmented bodies (roundworms). Annelids are cylindrical worms with segmented bodies (they are metameric).
3. What is the key innovation in annelids?
The key innovation found in the species of the phylum Annelida is the coelom, an internal body cavity completely
covered by the mesoderm, a feature also present in arthropods, molluscs, echinoderms and chordates. Platyhelminthes
are acoelomate and nematodes are pseudocoelomate (their internal cavity is partially covered by the mesoderm).
Another important evolutionary innovation in annelids is their closed circulatory system.
4. What morphological characteristic suggests proximity between organisms of the phylum Annelida and arthropods?
The segmentation of the body of annelids into metameres makes annelids close to arthropods, since they are also
segmented organisms. (Furthermore, bristles present in oligochaete and polychaete annelids are covered with chitin, the
same substance that composes the exoskeleton of arthropods.)
5. How does digestion in organisms of the phylum Annelida take place? What type of digestive system do they have?
Digestion in organisms of the phylum Annelida is extracellular. These animals have a complete digestive system, with a
mouth and anus.
6. Which features and organs of the digestive system of earthworms are related to their diet?
Earthworms eat decomposing organic material and small organisms ingested together with soil particles. The digestive
tract of earthworms has special structures, including a muscular wall and a gizzard, which triturate the food and scratch it
against the ingested soil particles. Since annelid digestion is exclusively extracellular, at the end of their digestive system,
earthworms also contain structures such as the cecum and the typhlosole, which have the function of increasing the
absorption surface of the intestine.
7. The vascular lesions caused by leeches on the blood vessels of their host cause blood to coagulate naturally. How does
the leech solve the problem of the ingested blood potentially coagulating inside its body?
Ingested blood does not coagulate inside the leech (Hirudo medicinalis) because a potent anticoagulant substance is
contained in its saliva. This substance is a protein called hirudin.
In the past, leeches were commonly used as a medical treatment. Nowadays, hirudotherapy is used in patients with
extensive and chronic inflammation of the skin, as a prevention for tissue necrosis after some surgeries and in several
others fields of medicine.
8. How is the respiratory system of species of the phylum Annelida characterized?
Respiration in annelids can be cutaneous or branchial. Cutaneous respiration occurs through the large amount of veins
under the epidermis. Gills are present in aquatic annelids are located in the parapodia (false claws), which have an
extensive network of capillaries.
9. What is meant when it is said that organisms of the phylum Annelida are vascular organisms? From which other phyla
of the animal kingdom does this feature differentiate them?
The classification of these organisms as vascular means that they have a circulatory system with vessels that distribute
substances throughout the body.
Poriferans, cnidarians and flatworms do not have a circulatory system. In nematodes, the circulation of gases and
nutrients through the pseudocoelom fluid takes place.
10. How are the circulatory systems of animals classified?
A circulatory system is classified as either open or closed. In open circulatory systems, blood exits vessels and flows into
large cavities that perfuse the tissues to be irrigated. In closed circulatory systems, blood circulates only within blood
vessels and through the heart.
11. What type of circulatory system is present in annelids?
In organisms of the phylum Annelida, the circulatory system is closed, meaning that blood circulation takes place only
within specialized vessels.
12. Does annelid blood contain a respiratory pigment?
The blood in organisms of the phylum Annelida contains the respiratory pigment hemoglobin (the same one found in
chordates) as well as other pigments.
13. How can the presence, location and function of muscle tissue in organisms of the phylum Annelida be explained?
These organisms contain a longitudinal muscle layer under the epidermis and, internally juxtaposed and perpendicular to
it, another circular (radial to the axis) muscle layer. The circular muscle layer has the function of elongating the body
while the longitudinal one shortens it. By alternating contractions, both promote movement.
14. How can the excretory system of annelids be described?
In each segment (metamere) of the organism, a pair of complete excretory structures called the metanephridium exists.
The metanephridium has an extremity, the nephrostoma, which collects waste from the coelom, filtering it and causing
reabsorption along its extension (similar to human nephron tubules). The material to be excreted goes out through a
pore, the nephridiopore, which opens to the surface of the body.
15. How can the nervous system in organisms of the phylum Annelida be described? How can the cephalization in
annelids be compared to cephalization in nematodes and platyhelminthes?
Annelids have a nervous system made of two ventral cords and one relatively large nervous cell concentration at its
anterior portion, which resembles a primitive brain.
Nematodes have an anterior neural ring connected to two neural cords, a ventral and a dorsal one, whereas in planaria
(platyhelminthes) there are only two small anterior cerebral ganglia from which neural cords split. Therefore,
cephalization in annelids is greater than in nematodes or in flatworms.
16. What is the clitellum of earthworms and where it is located?
The clitellum is a special region of the annelid made up of rings (metameres) with a reproductive function. It can be
found in the anterior portion of the animal and is distinguished by a lighter color in comparison to the normal color of
the other segments.
17. In terms of the occurrence of separate sexes, how can organisms of the phylum Annelida classified?
These organisms may be dioecious (the majority of polychaetes) or hermaphrodite monoecious (oligochaetes and
hirudineans).
18. Is embryonic development in earthworms direct or indirect?
In earthworms, there is no larval stage, so embryonic development is direct.
19. What is the name of the larval stage of polychaetes?
Among the classes of annelids, only polychaetes have a larval stage. Their larva is called trocophore.
20. Into which classes is the phylum Annelida divided?
The phylum Annelida is divided into three classes: oligochaetes (for example, earthworms), hirudineans (such as leeches)
and2 polychaetes (these are mostly marine aquatic organisms with parapodia, such as nereis).
21. What is the ecological role of earthworms?
Earthworms have an important ecological role, as they eat decomposing organic material. They also dig tunnels in the
subsoil, allowing the entrance of gases and nutrients that are useful for plant roots and other living organisms. Therefore,
they play the role as decomposers and fertilizers.
22. The main features of annelids. How can they be described according to examples of representative species, basic
morphology, type of symmetry, germ layers and coelom, digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system,
excretory system, nervous system and types of reproduction?
Examples of representative species: earthworms, leeches, lugworms. Basic morphology: cylindrical body, segmented
(metameric). Type of symmetry: bilateral. Germ layers and coelom: triploblastic, coelomates. Digestive system: complete.
Respiratory system: cutaneous or branchial. Circulatory system: closed, with hemoglobin. Excretory system: a pair of
metanephridia in each metamere. Nervous system: neural cords, a pair of ganglia per metamere, anterior concentration
of neurons (primitive brain). Types of reproduction: sexual, with dioecious and monoecious species.

What preventive measure should you advise people in your community to apply to protect themselves from
hookworms?

Answer

In addition to all the measures involving personal hygiene after defaecation, before food preparation and when
eating etc., you should specifically educate your community to interrupt the transmission of hookworms by:
 Wearing shoes to prevent the parasites from entering through skin while walking barefooted.

Using latrines, disposing of faeces safely and stopping open defaecation in fields, to prevent contamination of
soil with the parasites.

1. Parasitic infection of the intestines could be due to protozoa or helminths.

2. Common types of intestinal protozoal infections in Ethiopia include ameobiasis and giardiasis.

3. Ameobiasis presents with dysentery (stools containing blood and mucus). Amoebic dysentery is rare in children,
in contrast to shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) which mainly affects young children. Suspected cases of amoebiasis
should be started on rehydration with ORS and then referred for laboratory diagnosis and treatment.

4. Giardiasis presents with pale, greasy and foul-smelling diarrhoea. For children with mild cases, treat as for acute
watery diarrhoea, by rehydrating with ORS. For persistent or severe cases in children, and all adults with
suspected giardiasis, start rehydration and then refer them for laboratory diagnosis and treatment.

5. Common diseases caused by intestinal helminths in Ethiopia include ascariasis and hookworm infection.

6. Ascariasis is the commonest intestinal helminth infection in children. Cases present with abdominal discomfort
and you may see the passage of live worms with the faeces or vomit. Treat cases with albendazole or
mebendazole according to the schedule in Table 34.1.

7. Hookworm infection is a common cause of anaemia in areas where walking barefooted is common and sanitary
conditions are poor. Refer suspect cases for laboratory confirmation and educate the community on shoe wearing,
use of latrines and proper disposal of faeces.

8. All children aged between two to five years should be routinely dewormed every six months, using the dosages
in Table 34.1, to kill ascaris and hookworms.

Suppose a 30-year-old man came to you complaining of diarrhoea. You asked about the type of diarrhoea and
the patient described it to you. Which diseases do you suspect, if he describes the diarrhoea as:

1. Bloody with mucus?

2. Watery?

3. Pale and greasy?

How should you manage the patient in each of the above cases?

Answer

1. The diseases that you should suspect as causes of bloody diarrhoea are shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) and
amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery).

2. The diseases that you should suspect as causes of watery diarrhoea include cholera or a viral diarrhoeal disease
(although rotavirus infection is not common in adults).

3. If the patient describes his condition as greasy diarrhoea, you should suspect giardiasis.
Irrespective of the type of diarrhoea, the adult patient should be started on rehydration with ORS and referred to
a higher level health facility for laboratory investigation and treatment.

(test Learning Outcomes 34.1, 34.2 and 34.3)

Abebe is a farmer who came to you with symptoms of anaemia.

1. What possible causes of anaemia do you consider?

2. What evidence would suggest hookworm infection?

3. How do you manage Abebes illness?

Answer

1. The common causes of anaemia to be considered include malaria, malnutrition, a recent history of bleeding, and
hookworm infection.

2. The evidence that suggests hookworm infections is the absence of other obvious causes (e.g. if malaria is not
locally endemic, or the malaria rapid diagnostic test is negative), and the presence of risk factors for hookworm
walking barefooted in areas where faeces contaminate the soil.

3. Whatever the cause, refer Abebe to a higher level health facility for laboratory diagnosis and treatment if he has
hookworms, or diagnosis of another cause, and treatment for his anaemia.

How are the prevention and control measures for ascariasis and hookworm infection:

1. the same?

2. different?

Answer

1. The route of exit for the eggs of ascaris worms and hookworms is the same with the faeces. Prevention and
control measures that are common to both diseases are use of latrines, safe disposal of faeces, and avoiding open
defaecation in fields. This prevents contamination of soils with infected faeces. Another similarity is that routine
deworming of children aged two to five years every six months with albendazole or mebendazole reduces the
reservoir of both diseases in the community.

2. The difference is that the route of entry for ascariasis is through the mouth, while for hookworm infection it is
through the skin, usually on bare feet. Prevention and control measures for ascariasis involve prevention of hand-
to-mouth transmission of the infectious agents, and avoiding contamination of food and drinking water. In
addition, to the measures described in (a), prevention and control measures for hookworm include wearing shoes.

CLASSIFICATION OF ANNELIDA

Phylum ANNELIDA
 Annelids are vermiform, bilaterally symmetrical, triploblastic and schizocoelomate animals whose body is
metamerically segmented and covered with a layer of cuticle. Body bears segmentally arranged setae or chetae.
Acron is divided into prostomium and peristomeum and the posterior terminal segment is called pygidium. Blood
vascular system is closed type and a respiratory pigment is usually present. Excretion takes place by nephridia.

Body length varies from less than 1 mm to more than 3 m. The Giant Earthworm (Megascolides australis)
can attain 1 m length. The South American leech, Haementeria ghilianii, can reach more than 40 cm in length.
There are more than 9000 species of annelids in the world.

Class POLYCHAETA

Polychaetes are mostly marine but some are freshwater or brackish water species. Commonly found from
the intertidal zone to depths of over 5,000 m. The polychaetes are so named because of the numerous setae or
chaetae they bear. They have about 8,000 species. Each body segment has a pair of locomotory organs called
parapodia that bear many bristles called chetae, because of which polychaetes are sometimes referred to as
bristle worms. Body size varies from 1 mm to about one metre. Polychaetes differ from other annelids in having
a well differentiated head with sense organs, such as eyes, antennae and sensory palps and there is no clitellum
on body. Polychaetes are dioecious but have no permanent sex organs and no gonoducts. Some polychaetes
are free swimming pelagic forms, some are active burrowers and crawlers, while others are sedentary, living in
tubes or burrows and feeding on planktons and detritus. Based on their habitat they are divided into two
subclasses:

1. Subclass ERRANTIA

They are free swimming or crawling worms in which body possesses numerous, identical segments and
well-developed parapodia and setae. There is a definite head, with an eversible pharynx having jaws or teeth.
The group includes swimming, crawling, burrowing and tube-dwelling members. Ex. Nereis; Polynoe; Aphrodite;
Glycera; Eunice.

2. Subclass SEDENTARIA

They are tube dwelling worms that display a high degree of segmental differentiation. Parapodia are
reduced, with or without modified setae. Prostomium without sensory structures but has tentacles and palps or
other feeding structures. Teeth or jaws are generally absent. Ex. Arenicola; Terebella; Amphitrite; Serpula.

Class OLIGOCHAETA
 They are worms without a distinct head and parapodia or suckers. There is a clitellum which produces a
cocoon during breeding season. Pharynx is not eversible. They are hermaphrodite and there is no larval stage.
There are about 10,000 species. Locomotion is by small setae and burrowing by coelomic hydraulic skeleton.
Most of them are mud ingesting and detritus feeders but few are predaceous, e.g. Agriodrilus and Phagodrilus.
There are two orders under class Oligochaeta.

1. Order ARCHIOLIGOCHAETA (=TUBIFICIDA)

Freshwater forms with worm-like body and setae present in bundles. Eye spots may be present. Gizzard
is poorly developed. Generally live in muddy tubes. Ex. Tubifex; Dero; Chaetogaster; Aelosoma; Nais; Stylaria;
Enchytraeus.

2. Order NEOLIGOCHAETA (=HAPLOTAXIDA)

Commonly known as earthworms, they are terrestrial worms with well developed gizzard and without eye
th
spots. Clitellum well developed and female genital opening on the 14 segment. Minute setae are used in
peristaltic locomotion and hydraulic skeleton is used for burrowing in mud. Ex. Pheretima; Lumbricus; Eudrilus;
Moniligaster; megascolides.

Class HIRUDINEA

They are ectoparasites of vertebrates having definite number of segments and annuli on each segment
and without parapodia. Suckers are present for attachment and locomotion. They are hermaphrodite and deposit
their eggs in cocoons. There are 4 orders as follows:

1. Order ACANTHOBDELLIDA, Ex. Acanthobdella. Parasitic on salmons.

2. Order RHYNCHOBDELLIDA, Ex. Pontobdella. Aquatic leeches.

3. Order GNATHOBDELLIDA, Ex. Hirudo, Hirudinaria. Common cattle leeches.

4. Order PHARYNGOBDELLIDA, Ex. Erpobdella. Terrestrial predatory leeches.

Class ARCHIANNELIDA

They are primitive marine worms, without distinct segmentation, parapodia and setae. There are 2 or 3
tentacles on prostomium. Anus is terminal. Larva is a typical trochophore. Ex. Polygordius; Protodrilus, Nerilla;
Dinophilus.