- Ascaris lumbricoides
Taxobox
name = "Ascaris lumbricoides"
image_width = 250px
image_caption = An adult female Ascaris worm.
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Nematoda
classis =Secernentea
ordo =Ascaridida
familia =Ascarididae
genus = "Ascaris "
species = "A. lumbricoides"
binomial = "Ascaris lumbricoides"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1758Ascaris lumbricoides is the member of the
Ascaris family responsible for the diseaseAscariasis .It can reach a length of up to 35 cm.cite web |url=http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic840.htm |title=eMedicine - Ascaris Lumbricoides : Article by Aaron Laskey |accessdate=2008-02-03 |format= |work=]
Life cycle
"Ascaris lumbricoides", or "roundworm", infections in humans occurs when an ingested infective egg releases a larval worm that penetrates the wall of the
duodenum and enters the bloodstream. From here, it is carried to the liver and heart, and enters pulmonary circulation to break free in the alveoli, where it grows and molts. In 3 weeks, the larvae pass from the respiratory system to be coughed up, swallowed, and thus returned to the small intestine, where they mature to adult male and female worms. Fertilization can now occur and the female produces as many as 200,000 eggs per day for a year. These fertilized eggs become infectious after 2 weeks in soil; they can persist in soil for 3 years or more.Murray, Patrick R.; Rosenthal, Ken S.; Pfaller, Michael A. "Medical Microbiology", Fifth Edition. United States: Elsevier Mosby, 2005]Infections
Infections with these parasites are more common where sanitation is poorcite web |url=http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/html/Ascariasis.htm |title=DPDx - Ascariasis |accessdate=2008-02-03 |format= |work=] and human feces are used as fertilizer.
Prevention of this infection centers around education, not using human feces as fertilizer, and cleanliness, especially among those who handle food.
More than 1 billion people are affected by this infection.
References
External links
* [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/358/14/e16/DC1 Ascaris Lumbricoides Video - New England Journal of Medicine]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
