Living on someone else
Some worms live in our gut and feed on our food.
A worm in the gut
Some diseases are caused by worms that live inside our bodies, in the digestive system. Food nutrients flow through the gut all the time.
Where does a worm in the gut get its food from?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Parasites are organisms that live in or on another living being; disease-causing worms live as parasites in the digestive system, feeding on nutrients, and spread through contaminated food, water, soil or contact.
A worm in the gut
Some diseases are caused by worms that live inside our bodies, in the digestive system. Food nutrients flow through the gut all the time.
Where does a worm in the gut get its food from?
- From the nutrients that flow through the gut
- From sunlight
- It does not need food
Look inside the gut
Add worms to the gut. Then see how worms get in and spread.
Parasites
Parasites are organisms that live in or on another living being. Disease-causing worms live as parasites in the digestive system, feeding on nutrients. They spread through contaminated food, water, soil or contact.
- Fact | Worm parasites
- Where they live | In the digestive system
- What they do | Feed on nutrients
- How they spread | Contaminated food, water, soil, or contact with infected people or animals
- Example from the book | Ascariasis (roundworms): loss of appetite, poor growth, weight loss, anaemia
Notes
Parasites live in or on another living being. Disease-causing worms live as parasites in the digestive system, feeding on nutrients. They spread through contaminated food, water, soil or contact.
Check yourself
What is a parasite?
Where do disease-causing worms live as parasites?
How can these worms spread?
- An organism that lives in or on another living being — correct. Yes. That is what a parasite is.
- An organism that lives only in soil. A parasite lives in or on another living being.
- A medicine that kills worms. A parasite is an organism, not a medicine.
- In the digestive system — correct. Yes. They feed on nutrients there.
- In the lungs. The worms in this chapter live in the digestive system.
- In the air. They live in or on another living being, not in the air.
- Through contaminated food, water, soil or contact — correct. Yes. These are the ways the book gives.
- Through clean boiled water. Clean boiled water is safe.
- Through sunlight. Worms do not spread through sunlight.