Following swallowing of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs, what path do the larvae take before reaching intestinal maturity?
Answer
Travel via the bloodstream or lymphatic system to the lungs.
The life cycle of *Ascaris lumbricoides*, the large roundworm causing ascariasis, is characterized by a migratory phase involving the respiratory system. After the infective eggs are swallowed and hatch in the small intestine, the emerging larvae do not immediately mature there. Instead, they penetrate the intestinal wall to enter either the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. From there, they are carried systemically until they reach the lungs, where they mature further, migrate up the airways, are coughed up, and finally swallowed again to complete their development into adult worms in the intestine.
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