Trichinella spiralis
How the magic happens
Reproduction in
T. spiralis begins once
the encysted nematodes are ingested. Upon ingestion,
they travel to the stomach to be digested. The digestive
functions of the stomach allow the nematodes to change from
their encysted to their active forms. When they arrive in
the intestines, the worm molts four times within the first
thirty fours hours. After molting the female worm, which are
typically slightly larger than males worms,
releases pheromones that attract the male worms. When
the female has found a male worm, the male coils around the
female’s genitals and then inserts its spicule or spicul
es
into her genitals. Then the males amoeboid like sperm, which
do not have flagella, crawl along the spicules into the
female worm. The sperm then fertilizes the egg, but the
mother doesn’t release the eggs until they have hatched within
her uterus, which is usually within the fifth or sixth day of
infection.
To learn about the taxonomy and phologeny of this organism click here