NEMATODES

I - INTRODUCTION
Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of
soil will contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of
insects, plants or animals. Free-living species are abundant, including
nematodes that feed on bacteria, fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast
majority of species encountered are poorly understood biologically. There are
nearly 20,000 described species classified in the phylum Nemata .   Nematodes
are structurally simple organisms. Adult nematodes are comprised of
approximately 1,000 somatic cells, and potentially hundreds of cells associated
with the reproductive system . Nematodes have been characterized as a tube
within a tube  ; referring to the alimentary canal which extends from the mouth on
the anterior end, to the anus located near the tail. Nematodes possess digestive,
nervous, excretory, and reproductive systems, but lack a discrete circulatory or
respiratory system. In size they range from 0.3 mm to over 8 meters. 

History
In 1758, Linnaeus described some nematode genera (e.g., Ascaris), then included
in Vermes.The name of the group Nematoda, informally called "nematodes", came
from Nematoidea, originally defined by Karl Rudolphi (1808),  from Ancient Greek νῆμα
(nêma, nêmatos, 'thread') and -eiδἠς (-eidēs, 'species'). It was treated
as familyNematodes by Burmeister (1837). At its origin, the "Nematoidea" erroneously
included Nematodes and Nematomorpha, attributed by von Siebold (1843).
Along with Acanthocephala, Trematoda and Cestoidea, it formed the obsolete
group Entozoa,[18] created by Rudolphi (1808). They were also classed along with
Acanthocephala in the obsolete phylumNemathelminthes by Gegenbaur (1859). In
1861, K. M. Diesing treated the group as order Nematoda. In 1877, the taxon
Nematoidea, including the family Gordiidae (horsehair worms), was promoted to the
rank of phylum by Ray Lankester.
In 1919, Nathan Cobb proposed that nematodes should be recognized alone as a
phylum. He argued they should be called "nema" in English rather than
"nematodes"[a] and defined the taxon Nemates (later emended as Nemata, Latin plural
of nema), listing Nematoidea sensu restricto as a synonym. Since Cobb was the first to
exclude all but nematodes from the group, some sources consider the valid taxon name
to be Nemates or Nemata, rather than Nematoda.
 III – DISCUSSION

Characteristics of Nematodes

Nematodes are highly abundant, non-segmented worms that are present in a

variety of habitats. Many are free-living (such as those that live in the soil), while
others are parasitic and must attach themselves to a plant, insect, animal or
human host to survive and reproduce. Some common nematodes include
roundworms, Ascaris, hookworms and Trichinella. There are a number of
characteristics shared by members of this large phylum.

Simple Structure

Most nematodes have the same simple body plan. Their bodies are bilaterally
symmetrical (one half is a mirror image of the other), and while most are
microscopic, they can grow to as long as 8 meters. Many have a “tube-within-a-
tube” body plan comprised of a long, cylindrical body that encloses a hose-like
canal (called an alimentary canal). Food enters the alimentary canal on one end,
and waste is expelled through the anus on the tail end. While nematodes have
digestive, reproductive, nervous and excretory systems, they do not have a
distinct circulatory or respiratory system. Adults are made up of roughly 1,000
somatic cells, and hundreds of those cells are typically associated with the
reproductive system.

Abundant and Diverse in Habitat

Nematodes are the most abundant group of multicellular organisms on earth.

Approximately 20,000 different species of nematodes have been identified,
although it is thought that there could be as many as one million, many of which
have eluded identification because of their microscopic size.
Nematodes can be found in diverse habitats, including the ocean, soil, roots,
stems and leaves of plants, fresh water, and tissues of animals and insects. In a
single cubic foot of soil, as many as one million nematodes may be present.

Ecologically Important

Nematodes play an important role in the ecosystem. Some nematodes have the
potential to harm the ecosystem by killing plants, insects and animals. For
example, each year, nematode parasites cause billions of dollars in lost
production to plant and vegetable growers in the United States. On the other
hand, some insect parasitic nematodes are effectively used as biological control
agents to control the population of pest insects such as mosquitoes.
IV – GENERALIZATION

Nematodes are parasites that can cause diseases such as

Trichinosis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis and more and ingesting
these may lead to death. As health care providers it is a must
that we give health teaching to individuals who are at risk of
having these parasitic diseases for instance, people who are
fan of eating street foods, people who don’t practice proper
hygiene and children who likes to play on the ground/soil, these
people can be affected by these nematodes.

Prevention requires educated hygienic habits/culture and

effective fecal treatment systems. This is particularly important
with some nematodes because its eggs are one of the most
difficult pathogens to kill and the eggs commonly survive longer.
These parasites lives in the intestine where it lays eggs.
Infection occurs when the eggs, too small to be seen by the
unaided eye, are eaten. The eggs may get onto vegetables
when improperly processed human feces of infected people are
used as fertilizer for food crops. Infection may occur when food
is handled without removing or killing the eggs on the hands,
clothes, hair, raw vegetable/fruits, or cooked food that is
(re)infected by handlers, containers, etc. Eggs can be reduced
by hot composting methods, but to completely kill them may
require rubbing alcohol, iodine, specialized chemicals, cooking
heat ( over 50’ (122 ‘F) for 24 hours)

V – RESOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascaris_lumbricoids
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinella_spiralis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinworm_(parasite)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichuris_trichiura