Sapto P Putro, PhD Lab. Ecology & Biosystematics Dept. Biology Fac.

Sciencres & Mathematics Diponegoro University

General Characteristics
They exhibit bilateral symmetry: anterior
and posterior ends are different; so are the dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) surfaces The platyhelminths also exhibit some degree of cephalization Commonly referred to as the 'flatworms' because their bodies are dorsoventrally flattened. They are acoelomates This phylum (and all remaining phyla) possess 3 germ layers (=triploblastic) The mesoderm (third germ layer) gives rise to muscles, various organ systems, and the parenchyma, a form of solid tissue containing cells and fibers

Outer Body Covering

The body of some platyhelminthes (e.g., turbellarians) is covered by a ciliated epidermis Epidermal cells contain rodshaped structures called rhabdites that when released into the surrounding water, expand and form a protective mucous coat around the animal The outer body covering of other platyhelminthes (e.g., parasitic forms) is a non-ciliated tegument The tegument is referred to as a syncytial epithelium

Organ Systems of the Platyhelminthes

Digestive System Some of the flatworms possess a digestive system, with a mouth, pharynx, and a branching intestine from which the nutrients are absorbed The intestine, with only one opening, is a blind system

Organ Systems of the Platyhelminthes cont.

Excretory System (osmoregulation) A network of water collecting tubules adjacent to flame cells or a protonephridia When cilia beat they move water into the tubules and out the body through pores called nephridiopores

Organ Systems of the Platyhelminthes cont

Muscular System Below the epidermis are layers of circular and longitudinal muscle fibers; used in locomotion Nervous System Includes: anterior cerebral ganglia, longitudinal nerve cords, and some lateral nerves Most free living planarians and parasitic larval forms possess a variety of sensory organs (e.g., eye spots, statocysts, rheoreceptors)

Organ Systems of the Platyhelminthes cont.

Reproductive System Most are capable of some form of asexual reproduction (e.g., many turbellarians reproduce by fission) Most flatworms are hermaphroditic; however, they often pair with other individuals to exchange gametes

Platyhelminthes
Eumetazoa - animals with tissue Bilateria - have bilateral symmetry and are triploblastic.

Protostomia - a group of animals whose mouth develops from the blastopore, and the mesoderm forms from an area near the blastopore.

Acoelomata - They have a true mesoderm which fills

the original blastocoel between the outer epidermis and digestive tract.

Platyhelminths Systematics
Traditional Classification Scheme 1. Class Turbellaria: Most free-living worms from terrestrial, FW and marine environments 2. Class Monogenea: All parasitic, mainly ectoparasites of fishes (e.g. found on the skin and gills) 3. Class Trematoda: All parasitic, mainly in the digestive tract of vertebrates a. Subclass Digenea - at least a 2 host life cycle; first host is a mollusc b. Subclass Aspidogastrea - most with only one host (mollusc) c. Didymozoidea - tissue dwelling parasites of fish 4. Class Cestoidea: All parasitic in all classes of vertebrates except agnathans; most have an intermediate host

Class Turbellaria
Free-living flatworms; mostly marine organisms Range in size from microscopic (interstitial species between sand grains) to extremely large (two feet) Locomotion

Most move by means of cilia and mucous Muscle contractions also permit turning, twisting and folding of the body

Class Turbellaria cont

Nutrition Turbellarians are carnivores and prey on other animals or eat dead animal remains. Planarians have a muscular pharynx that they can insert into their prey and then pump to bring in food fragments These animals have a highly divided gut to greatly increase the surface area for digestion and absorption Senses They have well developed sensory structures, including eyespots, mechanoreceptors, and chemoreceptors

Class Turbellaria cont

Reproduction Planarians are capable of asexual reproduction via fission Also capable of regeneration; exhibit both anterior- posterior and lateral polarity They are hermaphrodites but usually exhibit cross-fertilization The penis of some turbellarians is modified as a hollow stylet; sperm tranfer is by hypodermic impregnation, in which the copulating partners stab each other and inject sperm

Freshwater Planarians:

Dugesia

Polycladida moseleyi is distributed throughout the Mediterranean Sea and temperate eastern Atlantic. Its favored food are tunicates (Clavelina sp.). http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~bu6/flat0431.html

Class Monogenea
Parasitic Flukes Only one host Most external parasites Gyrodactylus Polystoma Can cause major economic losses to

fisheries

Class Trematoda
Flukes that live as parasites either on or in other organisms. Outer body lacks cilia; tegument has a layer of glycoproteins that are important in protection and absorption Possess 2 suckers: 1. Oral sucker which attaches to organs of the host 2. Ventral sucker or acetabulum; used to attach to host tissues

Types of Hosts
Often have complex life cycles that alternate between sexual and asexual stages. Most require at least 2 different kinds of hosts to complete their life cycle: 1. Definitive host (primary host) The host in which the parasite matures and reproduces (sexually) The host in which eggs are released 2. Intermediate host Hosts in which larval stages develop and undergo asexual reproduction Results in an increase in the number of the individuals

Contents

Clonorchis
Human liver fluke - has two intermediate or

secondary host snail and fish.

Human liver fluke

Cerceria

General Life Cycle - Chinese liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis

Adults live in the bile ducts of humans, dogs, and cats There are 2 intermediate hosts: a snail and a fish Eggs are passed out of the definitive host and hatch as ciliated larvae called miracidia The miracidia penetrates a snail molluscan host and becomes a sporocyst They undergo asexual reproduction producing larvae called rediae Rediae often asexually produce more rediae, but will eventually give rise to larvae called cercariae They leave the molluscan host and penetrate fish They encyst in the fish tissues as the metacercaria Consumption of infected fish results in the metacercaria excysting in the gut and migrating to the bile duct

Contents

Fasciola
Sheep liver fluke - metacercaria on grass.

Life cycle

Fasciola life cycle

Contents

Contents

Schistosoma
Blood Flukes
Cerceria usually infect by burrowing through skin.

Schistosoma
Schistosoma spp. is a common blood fluke of Southeast Asia that causes shistosomiasis Humans are the definitive host; snails are the intermediate host In humans its eggs ultimately penetrates and damages intestinal tissue and tissue of the bladder A source of constant inflammation and eventually leads to deterioration of liver, spleen and other organs

Class Cestoda
General Morphology Nonciliated tegument composed of glycoprotein The anterior region is called a scolex; often armed with suckers and hooks Extending from the neck is a series of proglottids; contain the sex organs and eggs; no digestive system Mature eggs released through an opening in the proglottid or leave the host when the proglottids are separated from the main body of the worm.

Beef Tapeworm, Taeniarhynchus saginatus

Definitive host humans; intermediate host cattle Eggs are shed with human feces; infected persons defecate in a pasture and the eggs are ingested by cattle Eggs hatch giving rise to oncosphere larvae that bore into the intestinal wall and get into the circulatory system to be transported to muscle Here the larvae develop into the cysticercus stage (=the bladder worm) with the inverted scolex If uncooked beef is consumed the cysticercus is freed and the scolex everts, forming the adult Symptoms include loss of weight, chronic indigestion, diarrhea

Cestodes (cont.)
Can reach up to 50 ft. in length! No specialized sense organs Reproduce using proglottids (segments) Contain flame cells, nerves, muscles, male and female reproductive organs Shed in feces of host Taenia saginata beef tapeworm Taenia solium pork tapeworm

Tapeworm Structure

Contents

Class Cestoda
Tapeworms Have distinct head structure (Scolex) and reproductive units called proglottids. Do not have a digestive system. Larva are oncospheres and cysticerci (bladder worms)
Taenia Dipylidium Echinococcus

Contents

Taenia

Proglotid

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Dipylidium (dog tape)

Juveniles in flea and

louse Note the two gential pores and reproductive systems in each proglottid.

Proglottid

Echinococcus
Hydatid cyst (cysticercus)- may scolices and

Contents

enlarges to as large as a basketball. Often called sand. Only three proglottids