The document discusses helminths, which are parasitic worms. It defines helminthology as the study of parasitic worms and their effects on hosts. It describes two types of helminths: geohelminths which have a simple life cycle within one host, and biohelminths which require an intermediate host to complete their life cycle. It then provides examples of specific helminths, including their transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

1. Helminth

2.  Helminth means worm.
 Their motile activity is accomplished by wriggling movement.
 The helminth of medical importance belong to 3 classes: Nematoda,
Trematoda and Cestoda.
 Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms and their effect on their
hosts.
 Geohelminths refer to the helminths which complete their life cycles not
requiring the processes of the development in intermediate hosts.
 They have only one host and a simple life cycle, such as ascarid,
hookworm, pinworm and etc.
 Bio helminths refer to those that have to undergo the development in
intermediate hosts to complete their life cycle , such as filaria, liver fluke,
pork tapeworm and so on.
HELMINTH

3. HELMINTHS (WORMS)
Characteristics
• Eukaryotic (N+CW), multicellular animals that usually have digestive, circulatory,
nervous, excretory, and reproductive systems.
• Worms with bilateral symmetry, head and tail, and tissue differentiation (endoderm,
mesoderm, and ectoderm).
• Parasitic helminths spend most or all of their lives in host and usually have the
following specializations:
— May lack a digestive system. Absorb nutrients from host’s food, body fluids, or tissues.
— Have are duced nervous system.
— Means of locomotion is reduced or absent.
— Complex reproductive system. Individuals produce many eggs that can infect another
host.

4.  Infection by larvae, penetrating the skin
 Larval invasion may produce a pruritic creeping eruption, cutaneous larva
migrans
 Adult causes iron-deficiency anemia, as hookworm attaches & sucks blood
in intestine
 Adult survives for ~6 months
 Dx- microcytic anemia, eggs in faeces
 Rx- Albendazole, iron supplements
 Prevention- sanitation
ANCYLOSTOMA- HOOKWORM

5. • Caused by A lumbricoides
• Transmission- feco -oral- egg in soil
• Mostly asymptomatic
• May cause nutritional deficiency, bowel
obstruction, pancreatic/biliary obstruction,
• pneumonia
• Dx- eggs in stool
• Rx- Albendazole, 400 mg once or Piperazine
or Pyrantel pamoate
Ascariasis- roundworm

6. Stool microscopy: It is based on the microscopic demonstration
of eggs in the faeces
Microscopy of faeces is very useful in the diagnosis of chronic
fascioliasis
F. hepatica eggs are very similar to those of Fasciolopsis buski,
hence cannot be distinguished from each other
Stool microscopy is not useful in acute fascioliasis because
eggs seldom are excreted in the faeces in acute fascioliasis
Laboratory Finding

7.  Beware of skin infection from vigorous scratching to
 relieve pruritus.
 Pinworms have been associated with appendicitis.
 However, small and large intestine ulcerations , perianal
abscesses, intestinal pain, transient synovitis, or enuresis is
believed to be coincidentaln and not causal.
 If a patient with entero biasis is refractory to treatment,
consider the possibility of an infestation
 with Dipylidium caninum, which is a common tapeworm that
infects domestic cats and dogs.

Complications