{"id":11445,"key":"Nematode","title":"Nematode","latest":{"id":1206441,"timestamp":"2025-11-27T20:09:16Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"[[File:Nematoda х 10.jpg|thumb]]\n\n'''Nematodes''', commonly known as roundworms, are one of the commonest groups of animals, found in most land, freshwater, and marine environments. Of over 80,000 known species, about 15,000 are parasitic. Nematodes are classified as members of the phylum Nematoda.\n\nVarious types of free-living (non-parasitic) nematodes feed on [[algae]], [[fungi]], small animals, fecal matter, and carrion. Nematodes are an important component of the decomposition system. Some species are considered to be crop pests, while others are ''predators'' of crop pests.\n\nParasitic nematodes exhibit a great variety of lifestyles, and depending on species may infest humans, animal species, or may move from one to the other.\n\nSome nematodes parasitic on humans include:\n\n* ''Ascaris lumbricoides'', which lives in the respiratory and digestive systems and causes the widespread disease ascariasis\n* filarids\n* [[hookworms]]\n* pinworms\n* whipworms\n\nOthers:\n\n* ''Baylisascaris''\n* ''Haemonchus contortus'', commonly infests [[sheep]] worldwide.\n* ''Trichinella spiralis'' (trichina worm), cause of trichinosis; infests humans, pigs, and rats.\n\n== External links ==\n\n* [[Wikipedia:Nematode]]\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| description = Meet nematodes on Appropedia—tiny worms that affect farms, forests, and food systems in ways both good and bad.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Nematodes]]\n[[Category:Parasites]]\n[[Category:Pest control]]"}