Health Medical Pharma Reference Libraries
Trichuris suis is a species of whipworm that is classified within the Nematoda phylum. It can be found in warm tropical regions throughout the world but is rare in arid regions. Males reach an average body length between 1.1 and 1.5 inches, while females reach an average length between 2.3 and 3.1 inches. This species, and other members of the Trichuris genus, was given its common name because...
Schistosoma mansoni is a species of parasitic worm, classified within the Platyhelminthes phylum, which affects an estimated 83.31 million throughout the world. This species is the most populous of all members of its genus, occurring in fifty-four countries including areas like Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean. This species causes intestinal schistosomiasis in humans....
The lancet liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) is a parasitic worm that is classified within the Platyhelminthes phylum. It is thought to be native to over thirty countries including Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Iran, China, Vietnam, Japan, Ghana, and Nigeria, among many other areas. It is also found in South and North America and in Australia. It is typically found in cattle or other...
DNA probes help scientists to detect a specific gene in a long DNA sequence. According to Dr. Michael A. Pfaller, DNA probes are “single-stranded pieces of nucleic acid, labeled with a specific tracer (isotope, enzyme, or chromophore), that will hydrogen bond (hybridize) with complementary single-stranded pieces of DNA (or RNA) under the appropriate conditions of pH, temperature, and iconic...
The activity of any living cell, and by extension life itself, depends on protein synthesis and the transcription of DNA. If proteins are the machinery of cellular function, then DNA are the machine assembly lines – responsible for accurately and efficiently ‘transcribing’ protein messengers, structures and enzymes. DNA transcription begins in the nucleus of a cell when an...
The Chinese liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis) is a species of parasitic worm that is classified within the Platyhelminthes phylum. It can be found in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Japan, and China and is present in nearly 30,000,000 humans today. It is thought to be one of the world’s most pervading parasites. The Chinese liver fluke requires two intermediate, or secondary, hosts and one...
Echinococcus multilocularis is a species of tapeworm that is classified within the Platyhelminthes phylum. It is one of a few worms that cause echinococcosis, a disease that affects many canid species including wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, domesticated dogs. Humans can also contract this disease. Adult members of this species can reach an average length of .2 inches, and like other species...
Trichinella spiralis, sometimes known as the pork worm, is a parasite within the Nematoda class. It can be found in pigs, rats, humans, and bears. This worm causes trichinosis in humans, most often from consuming undercooked pork. This species is the smallest within its class, reaching an average body length of .16 centimeters. Females are twice as large as males, displaying a sexual...
The eye-worm (Loa loa) is a species of roundworm within the Nematoda phylum. It can be found in India and Africa, among other areas. This species causes a disease known as Loa loa filariasis and is one of three species that can cause subcutaneous filariasis in humans. Females are larger than males, reaching an average body length of up to 2.7 inches, with males reaching an average body length...
The common liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), also known as the sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic flatworm in the Trematoda class. This species can infect sheep, cattle, humans, and other animals across the world. This species is one of the largest of its kind, reaching an average body length of 1.1 inches, with a width of up to .5 inches. This species is shaped like a worm and is typically wider...
