Nematoda and Invertebrate Contributions to Medicine

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to nematodes and their role in medicine, based on the lecture notes.

Nematoda

A phylum of ubiquitous organisms that includes free-living and parasitic roundworms, notable for their high abundance and density.

Pseudocoelomate

An organism with a body cavity not lined by mesodermal tissue, typical in some nematodes.

Cuticle

A multilayer, acellular layer secreted by the epidermis of nematodes, which is water permeable and molted periodically.

Eutelic

A condition of having a fixed number of cells in an organism, typical in many nematodes.

Trichinella spiralis

A parasitic nematode that causes trichinosis, commonly found in muscle tissue.

Azidothymidine (AZT)

An antiretroviral drug used to prevent and treat HIV, originally isolated from the sponge Tectitethya crypta.

Neuronal development

The study of how neuron structures develop and function, exemplified by invertebrates such as grasshoppers.

Cytarabine

A chemotherapy drug originally found in sponges, used to treat various types of cancers.

Rhabditis sp.

A genus of nematodes known for their renette glands that excrete salt, but not part of a formal excretory system.

Renette glands

Glands in certain nematodes that help regulate salt, but do not function as a true excretory system.

Mermis nigrescens

A parasitic nematode that infects grasshoppers.

Prostaglandins

Biologically active compounds derived from coral, known to act as vasodilators.

Canthaxanthins

Antioxidants derived from crustacean exoskeletons, explored for their potential in treating Parkinson's disease.

Caenorhabditis elegans

A free-living nematode used extensively as a model organism in biological research.

Urochordates

A group of marine invertebrates with immune recognition systems similar to those of vertebrates.

Dirofilaria

A genus of parasitic nematodes responsible for causing heartworm disease in cats and dogs.

Chromosome diminution

A process where specific regions of DNA are destroyed during cell cleavage, leading to reduced genome size in some nematodes.