In everyday language, the term "worm" is applied to various living forms, such as larvae, insects, millipedes, centipedes, and even some vertebrates. All types of worms are divided into several groups:
Flatworms
Family planarians lives in fresh water. They are hermaphrodites (have male and female reproductive organs). They have a simple brain (ganglia) and nervous system, arrow-shaped head and two eyespots. They have the ability to regenerate.
Trematodes or flukes have complex life cycles, and they live within one or more hosts. These worm species are characterized by a well-developed digestive system with a mouth at the front end and one or more suckers surrounding the mouth. Suction cups are used to stay attached to inner surface owner's body.
2. Tapeworms 
Tapeworms come in all shapes and sizes. Whether they're on a rain-soaked sidewalk, in a dumpster, or on the end of a fishhook, the worms most people know are of the segmented variety.
Nematoda have successfully adapted to almost every ecosystem from marine (salt water) to fresh water, to soils, from polar regions to the tropics, and from the highest to the lowest altitudes. These worms are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, where they often outnumber other animals and are found in places as diverse as mountains, deserts, and ocean trenches.
4. Annelids
annelids(Nereis, sea mouse, sandworm, earthworm, tubifex, leeches). 
Annelida (Annelida, from Latin anellus, "little ring"), also known as annelids or segmented worms, are a large phylum with over 17,000 extant species, including earthworms and leeches. These worm species are adapted to different ecologies - some live in marine environments such as intertidal zones and hydrothermal vents, others in fresh water as well as wet terrestrial habitats.
earthworms
Any person inclined to work on the ground has repeatedly encountered these shiny, pinkish-brown tubular life-forms, which hastily disappeared into the comforting damp darkness of the soil. These are known to everyone earthworms . Let us note a few of their features:
- Earthworms are incredibly diverse, with about 6,000 species worldwide. Some of the most familiar species you might see in your garden are the night crawler (which can be seen after dark), the angleworm (it's a popular fishing bait), or the earthworm.
- Of the 180 earthworm species found in the US and Canada, 60 are invasive species brought from the Old World.
- Lacking lungs or other specialized respiratory organs, earthworms breathe through their skin.
- The skin radiates a lubricating fluid that facilitates movement through underground burrows and helps keep the skin moist.
- Each earthworm is both male and female, producing both eggs and sperm. One end of their body is more sensitive to light than the other.
- Earthworms are attracted to each other by smell. These types of worms mate on the surface of the earth.
- Earthworm eggs look like tiny lemons. Newborn worms emerge from eggs very small but fully formed. They produce reproductive organs during the first 2-3 months of life and reach full size in about a year. They can live up to eight years.
- The size of these worms varies depending on the species, from less than 2 cm to almost 3 m. Such large monsters are not found in gardens. You have to go to the tropics to see them.
- In the northern states of Canada, after the last ice age, earthworms were destroyed. Therefore, modern worms living in areas washed out by glaciers are ocean invaders that were deliberately introduced by early settlers on the assumption that the worms would improve the soil.
- The earthworm's digestive system is a tube that runs straight from the front end of the body to the back where the digested material passes out. Since they mainly eat fallen leaves and soil, this allows the worms to move nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen into the soil. In addition, the movements of the worm in the ground create holes that facilitate the passage of air and loosen the soil.
- The northern forest of the United States suffers from earthworms that quickly eat the leaf layer (duff), causing nutrients to become less available to young growing plants and the soil becoming more compact instead of loosening, which negatively affects the development of these forests. Earthworms can also speed up the passage of water through forest soil, which may be beneficial in a farmland or garden with compacted soil, but not in such forests.
- Because earthworms spend most of their lives underground, plowing the soil and creating complex networks of burrows (which can extend 2 m or more), their bodies are basically like a tube with muscles arranged in two layers. One set of fibers runs lengthwise and the other runs widthwise, like a corset around his body. Tightening the corset forces the worm's head to move forward. The wave of contractions then travels back through the body, squeezing the worm forward until the long muscles grip the tail.
- Thin-skinned earthworms have no resistance to the sun's ultraviolet radiation, so daylight can be fatal, and they are usually only found on the surface in dull, wet weather.
- If a worm loses one end of its body, it can be replaced, however, if it is cut in half, it dies. Contrary to popular belief, they do not become two new worms.
- Fossil worms similar to earthworms have been found in rocks laid down 600 million years ago.
The earthworm is such a familiar creature and few people think about its enormous importance in nature. The contribution of earthworms in relation to soil fertility is enormous. They burrow through the ground, dragging leaves and other plant debris into the soil, allowing organic matter and air to penetrate and water to infiltrate. Their activity over millions of years is vital to the creation of rich, fertile soils from dense, barren clays. Unfortunately, the earthworm has many enemies - almost all animals and birds, but moths are the biggest threat, since one moth can eat up to 50 earthworms in one day.
1. There are nematode worms within which the unique presence of genes was discovered that slowed down the growth of aging by cellular level. This study has an official conclusion, so you can think about populating female body these hearts and queens will always be "18".
2. Spenceriella gigantea, originally from New Zealand, has amazing properties - it glows in the dark. Considering that the average length of such a worm reaches about one and a half meters, the light emanating from it is simply incredible. This can be used instead table lamp and knit at night).
3. Driloleirus americanus smells like lilies. More recently, this class was considered extinct, however, after research, scientists discovered their presence on earth.
4. In China, the use of hieroglyphs led to a complete change in the name of the worms. Thus, an earthworm depicted in Chinese graphics means the angel of the earth, instead of “earth utensils”.
5. Paul Hurley amazed everyone 10 years ago by conducting an experiment on himself. So, the actor carried out a campaign to transform into animals. Hurley dressed up in a big one plastic bag and for 7 days he led a “worm” life, crawling and curling like them. Why this was done and how others reacted to this is unknown to the village.
6. There is an incredible attraction in Australia. It is located in the city of Bass and is shaped like an earthworm. The length of the "swing" is 100 meters. Everyone can try to ride it on top or inside, crawling on all fours and plunging into the world of worm-like creatures.
It's hard to believe that scientists don't yet know absolutely everything about earthworms. It would seem that you need to know as much as possible about a creature that absolutely every person can find in their garden.
But there is a lot that neither we nor scientists know about worms yet. Amazing facts are mixed with unexpected discoveries and not entirely pleasant conclusions.
Let's start with this: did you know that there are a huge number of species of earthworm? The species are divided into three categories, with members living in different soil levels and having different feeding habits.
Here's another one no less amazing fact: It's likely that that earthworm you dug up in your garden is actually an invasive species that is changing the composition and function of the soil. Read more about this and much more below.
Diversity of earthworms
There are about 6 thousand varieties of earthworms in the world.
One of the most familiar species to us is the common earthworm, a popular fishing bait. Or an earthworm crawling to the surface after rain.
Invasive species
In northern latitudes and in regions where the terrain was formed by glaciers, most of earthworm species are "non-native". This greatly harms the forest cover and native vegetation.
Respiratory system
Earthworms do not have lungs or other specialized respiratory organs, so they breathe through pores in their skin.
Movement
To move underground, the surface of earthworms must be slippery. This is why their skin exudes a special cooling emulsion that makes moving through underground burrows easier and helps keep their skin moist and slippery.
Reproduction
Each earthworm is a hermaphrodite, that is, both male and female, so after fertilization, both worms produce offspring.
They are fertilized on the surface of the earth, pressing their bodies together and exchanging sperm. The ring, which previously contained sperm, subsequently becomes a cocoon for the development of eggs.
Young worms emerge from eggs very tiny, but fully formed. They grow reproductive organs within the first two or three months and reach full size within a year. They can live for about eight years, but this is rare.
Regeneration
Earthworms and other earthworms are famous for their ability to regrow all lost body parts. Moreover, a worm cut in half becomes two separate individuals.
Digestion
The digestive system of an earthworm is a simple tube starting directly from the mouth and ending at the back of the body, from where environment all digested organic material enters. Interestingly, worms can even digest some soft stones, turning them into a nutritious paste.
In addition, the movement of the worm in the ground creates holes that improve air exchange and loosen the soil. All this is good, but not always, not for all regions and not for all types of soil.
Glacial terrain
During the descent of glaciers, masses of ice and water rushing from the mountains to the lowlands exposed the relief right down to the stones. There was practically no soil left and, accordingly, no earthworms. That is why in some regions almost all types of earthworms can only cause harm.
Northern forests
The boreal forest began to develop after the glaciers retreated. Therefore, there is an ecosystem that is not able to benefit from the work of earthworms.
These forests require a deep layer of slowly decomposing leaves, peat and other organic matter to form the forest soil.
When earthworms invade these forests, they digest the humus too quickly, and as a result, nutrients become less available to young, slow-growing plants, and the soil, instead of remaining loose and light, becomes denser and heavier.
People's behavior also changes under the influence of the microbe. There is an opinion that mass infection with Toxoplasma even affects the formation of values in the population (money, work, law, etc.). The most commonly observed behavior characteristics are:
- A person's propensity to take risks increases.
- Reactions to what is happening slow down.
- Anxiety and suspiciousness increases.
- Men lose interest in everything new.
- Women are becoming more open and sincere.
There are medical studies that confirm the relationship between infection with a microbe and manifestations of paranoia and schizophrenia.
Systematization
Based on their genotype, there are three types of Toxoplasma. The first is found only in animals, the second and third - in humans (and the third only in HIV-infected people).
Epidemiology
According to statistics, about 1.5 billion people on the planet are infected with toxoplasma. Infection can occur:
The last method is the most dangerous. Depending on the stage of pregnancy, the consequences of infection may be different. In the early stages, toxoplasma causes miscarriages and the development of defects incompatible with life. At later stages, the child develops developmental anomalies, such as dropsy of the brain and others.
When infected in the third trimester of pregnancy, a latent course of toxoplasmosis is possible, which can appear years later or immediately after birth.
Morphology
Endozoite
The remaining organelles are similar to those of other protozoa.
Once in the external environment, endozoites quickly die. Only when in liquids (for example, saliva, milk, urine) can Toxoplasma live for several hours. Drying, ultraviolet radiation and heating are harmful to them.
Cystozoite
Sporozoite
Since the life cycle of Toxoplasma was clarified only in the 70s of the last century, and many of its features still require clarification, there is confusion in terminology. This primarily concerns the tissue phase. At the moment, the following formulations are most commonly used:
- Endozoite - located inside the vacuoles of the host cell or in the cytoplasm, observed during an acute infectious process.
- Cystozoite – located inside cysts and occurs during chronic infection.
The microbe that causes toxoplasmosis goes through four stages in its life cycle: schizogony, gametogony, sporogony and endodyogeny. The first three (sometimes all) are only in the body of cats. The latter can take place in the body of mammals and birds (according to some sources, even reptiles).
Intestinal part of the cycle
It begins when either oocysts containing sporozoites or vegetative forms (endozoites and cystozoites) enter the cat’s stomach. The latter invade epithelial cells and begin to divide in two (endodiogeny) or into a large number of new cells (schizogony).
Under the action of digestive enzymes, the oocyst loses its membrane. The released sporozoites invade the intestinal epithelial cells and begin to reproduce in the same way through schizogony. About 30 merozoites are formed. This is a special type of cell that further develops into gametogonium (the sexual part of the Toxoplasma development cycle).
Already two weeks after infection, immature germ cells – gametocytes – can be found in the cat’s intestines. Some of them give rise to micro-, the other part to macrogametocytes. The development of microgametocytes consists of successive divisions leading to the formation of 20-30 gametes. They have an elongated shape with pointed ends. For movement use 2 flagella. The macrogametocyte does not divide. It actively accumulates nutrients, reaching a size of 10-15 microns.
The process of fusion of macro- and microgametocytes (fertilization) occurs inside the intestinal cell. The zygote forms a membrane around itself and continues to remain inside the epithelium for some time. It develops first into an ookinete, then into an oocyst. The latter leaves the host's body with feces and enters the external environment.
Thanks to its dense shell, the oocyst can wait for suitable conditions for years. When the air and soil temperature, humidity and amount of oxygen become optimal, two sporocysts are formed, each containing four sporozoites. The oocyst is invasive to both cats and other animal species.
Tissue (extraintestinal) part of the cycle
In the epithelium of the cat's gastrointestinal tract, both sexual and asexual reproduction is possible. In the tissues of intermediate hosts, Toxoplasma increases in number only asexually - by dividing in two (endodiogeny) or dividing into a large number of microbes (endopolygeny).
Infection occurs when oocysts, cystozoites or endozoites enter the animal's body. All of them are freed from the membranes (if there were any) and begin to actively penetrate the intestinal epithelium or other tissues. After 3-10 hours, the membranes of the affected cells are destroyed and 10-30 endozoites emerge from them, ready for invasion.
Worm infestations pose a serious danger to children's bodies. Treatment must be immediate. Therefore, parents need to know which deworming tablets for children can be used without harm to health. Let's take a closer look at how to choose a medicine for a child, the main effect of medications and which drugs are the best.
How to choose the right deworming tablets for a child?
In order not to harm the child’s body, it is not recommended to choose anthelmintic drugs on your own. Treatment is prescribed by the doctor based on the characteristics of the little patient’s body and the course of the invasion.
Antihelminthic drugs have different effects on helminths. It all depends on the active ingredient of the medicine.
The properties of anthelmintic tablets are different, but they all have the same effect - the elimination and removal of helminthiasis pathogens from the body.
The most effective drugs for treatment and prevention
Among the variety of anthelmintic tablets, there are several drugs that have virtually no toxic effect on the body and do not cause negative reactions in children. Let’s take a closer look at what they are called, how they are used, their main action and for what infestations they are used.
Pirantel
Pyrantel tablets can be given to children from 3 years of age. The substance must be chewed well, so in more early age It is more advisable to offer the child syrup.
Instruction:
- children from 3 to 6 years old – 1 tablet;
- from 6 to 12 years – 2 tablets (500 ml of the drug);
- A child over 12 years of age can be given 3 tablets per dose.
The medicine belongs to the group of inexpensive but very good anthelmintic drugs. The price in pharmacies ranges from 30 to 45 rubles. for 3 tablets (250 mg per 1 t.), depending on the manufacturer. Read more about the drug Pirantel.
Nemozol
The drug has a wide spectrum of action. It helps get rid of tapeworms (bovine tapeworm, broad tapeworm, echinococcus) and roundworms such as pinworms and roundworms. In addition, the medicine is an antiprotozoal agent - it fights Giardia.
The average price of the drug is 165 rubles. The package contains 1 tablet (400 mg of active substance).
Treatment of worms with nemozol in children is permitted after the child turns 2 years old. It is not recommended to use this product before.
Pinworms and roundworms are eliminated by one-time use of 400 mg of the active substance. The dosage is the same for children and adults.
In the treatment of echinococcosis and mixed invasions, Nemozol should be taken 1 tablet 2 times a day (no more than 800 mg). Treatment lasts about a month, after which a two-week break is taken, and the doctor uses tests to determine further actions. Read more about the drug Nemozol.
Wormil
- enterobiasis (pinworms);
- ascariasis;
- children's giardiasis;
- toxocariasis;
- migrating cutaneous larvae;
- hookworm;
- capillariasis;
- necatoria.
Vormil helps get rid of hymenolepiasis (pathogen is dwarf tapeworm), strongyloidiasis (intestinal eels) and clonorchiasis (Chinese fluke infection).
The drug is prescribed to children over 2 years of age at a dosage of 400 mg (1 tablet). Duration of treatment is 3–5 days. For prevention, it is recommended to take the course again after 21 days.
Vormil is an inexpensive but powerful substance against various helminths. The average price of tablets is 155 rubles. Read more about the drug Vormil.
Dekaris
Decaris is a strong and very effective drug in the fight against roundworms and pinworms. It can be taken by children from 3 years of age. There is a special dosage for this - 50 mg of active substance in 1 tablet. At older ages (6–10 years) it is recommended to take 75 mg, and from 10 to 14 years – 75–100 mg (1.5–2 tablets).
Therapy for helminthic infestations in children is prescribed by a doctor. He calculates the exact dose of Decaris taking into account the child’s weight, which helps to avoid side effects. Read more about the drug Dekaris.
Piperazine
The dosage and time of taking Piperazine is calculated by a specialist. He takes into account the age of the child and the degree of neglect of the disease.
- Up to 3 years, you can take 0.25 g once a day.
- Children from 3 to 6 years old can be given 0.3–0.5 g once a day.
- From 6 to 8 years, the dose is increased to 0.75 g of piperazine per day.
- From 8 to 12 years old you can take 1 g of active substance (2 tablets).
- From 13 years of age the daily dose is 1.5 g.
Treatment of enterobiasis and ascariasis lasts no more than 5 days. In case of pinworm infection, therapy is recommended to be repeated after 3 weeks. Read more about Piperazine tablets.
Komarovsky about tablets for worms
A well-known pediatrician with many years of experience, Dr. Komarovsky, draws the attention of parents to the fact that the treatment of helminthic infestations in children should be thorough and comprehensive.
What to give a child for the most common infestations is decided solely by the doctor. Even the best medications can cause side effects, and absolutely not harm the other.
Another nuance that Komarovsky draws the attention of parents to is that they need to take anti-worm tablets in courses with certain breaks. In the intervals between taking anthelmintic drugs, vitamin complexes and enterosorbents (smecta, entegnin) are prescribed. Only in this case can you most effectively cleanse the gastrointestinal tract of helminths and not harm the child’s health.
