Of all the species of animals in the world, the nematodes or roundworms are one of the most numerous and most successful of all. They are ubiquitous in almost every kind of imaginable habitats, from blazing deserts to the coldest polar regions. They are so numerous in fact that they make up ninety percent of all life on earth, according to many experts. In almost every environment there is they outnumber every other kind of animal population and specie-wise. So you most probably come into contact with them every day and just don't know it yet.
They are bad news however when some species like the whipworm, hookworm, pinworms, filarids and other parasitic species of nematodes start feeding on you or your pets and livestock. One specie called the trichina worm is the one responsible for the disease called trichinosis. You usually get this disease by eating undercooked food. Another called Haemonchus contortus can devastate sheep farms. Even crops aren't safe from plant-parasitic roundworms such as the potato cyst nematode. Some nematodes attack the roots of plants, giving farmers plenty of reason to worry. Some nematodes living inside humans can reach a total length of 103 cm. This is definitely something you don't want to have inside you or any of your animals.
There are some helpful nematodes like entomopathogenic nematodes, which parasitize insects and are considered beneficial. Others like the predatory nematodes called cutworms feed on garden pests. So not all of these creatures are truly harmful. But for those that are, which bring possibly fatal diseases like trichinosis, steps should be taken quickly to prevent their spread. It could be the difference between life and death, success and disaster.
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