What do class Trematoda look like?

Trematodes are flattened oval or worm-like animals, usually no more than a few centimeters in length, although species as small as 1 millimetre (0.039 in) are known. Their most distinctive external feature is the presence of two suckers, one close to the mouth, and the other on the underside of the animal.

How do you identify Trematoda?

Diagnosis of trematode infection is commonly accomplished by identification of eggs in feces or urine. The eggs of most species are structurally distinct and the diagnosis can be made by standard light microscopy. With the exception of fascioliasis, the drug of choice for trematode infections is praziquantel.

What is the most common Trematoda?

The flukes that cause most human infections are Schistosoma species (blood fluke), Paragonimus westermani (lung fluke), and Clonorchis sinensis (liver fluke).

What is the common name for Trematoda?

fluke, also called blood fluke or trematode, any member of the invertebrate class Trematoda (phylum Platyhelminthes), a group of parasitic flatworms that probably evolved from free-living forms millions of years ago.

Can you see flukes in stool?

Diagnosis of Fluke Liver Infections Doctors diagnose Clonorchis, Opisthorchis, or Fasciola infections when they see fluke eggs in a person’s stool (feces) or in the contents of the person’s intestines. However, finding eggs in stool may be difficult.

What is the habitat of Trematoda?

Habitat: The larvae of human blood flukes live in freshwater snails. The adults live in veins in the abdomens of mammals such as rodents, dogs, cattle, baboons, and humans.

What disease does Trematoda cause?

Foodborne trematodiases include intestinal flukes, lung flukes and liver flukes. Liver flukes cause liver disease in humans and are caused by the species Clonorchis, Opisthorchis and Fasciola.

How many species of Trematoda are there?

2 Trematoda (Digenea, Aspidogastrea) Trematoda is a class of 15,000–20,000 species and include two subclasses, the Aspidogastrea and the Digenea (Gibson et al., 2014). The Aspidogastrea comprise fewer than 100 species. They are parasites of the alimentary canal mainly of fishes and turtles.

How do you know if you have intestinal flukes?

Doctors diagnose intestinal fluke infections when they see eggs or sometimes adult flukes in a person’s stool (feces). These fluke infections are treated with the drug praziquantel.

What are the symptoms of flukes?

Untreated, infections may persist for up to 25–30 years, the lifespan of the parasite. Typical symptoms include indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation. In severe cases, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea can occur.

What stage of trematodes swim in water?

The hatchling is called a miracidium, a free-swimming, ciliated larva. Miracidia will then grow and develop within the intermediate host into a sac-like structure known as a sporocyst or into rediae, either of which may give rise to free-swimming, motile cercariae larvae.

Can humans get trematodes?

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.

How do you get rid of trematode?

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.

What’s the difference between Trematoda and Monogenea?

Trematoda, or flukes, are obligate parasitic flatworms that cannot survive without a host. Most flatworms in the class Trematoda have a complex life cycle that involves two or more hosts. Monogenea are ecto-parasites that have only one host per lifetime.

Where are flukes found?

The adult (mature) flukes are found in the bile ducts and liver of infected people and animals, such as sheep and cattle. In general, fascioliasis is more common in livestock and other animals than in people. Two Fasciola species (types) infect people.

What do flukes do to humans?

Liver flukes infect the liver, gallbladder, and bile duct in humans. While most infected persons do not show any symptoms, infections that last a long time can result in severe symptoms and serious illness. Untreated, infections may persist for up to 25–30 years, the lifespan of the parasite.

How do trematodes move?

Trematodes, or flukes, are another class of helminths that have parasitic species. Adult flukes are typically flat, oval-shaped worms that have a layer of muscles just below the tegument, or skin, that allow the worm to expand and contract its shape and, thus, move its body.

Which disease is caused by trematodes?

Key facts

Disease Infectious agent Acquired through consumption of
Clonorchiasis Clonorchis sinensis Freshwater fish
Opisthorchiasis Opisthorchis viverrini, O. felineus Freshwater fish
Fascioliasis Fasciola hepatica, F. gigantica Aquatic vegetables
Paragonimiasis Paragonimus spp. Freshwater crustaceans (crabs and crayfish)

What causes trematode infections?