Laboratory Nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans
The laboratory nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, is a microscopic free-living roundworm associated with rotting plant material and microbe-rich soil. Adult hermaphrodites are about a millimeter long, transparent, and simple enough that their cells, development, and nervous system can be mapped in detail. Males occur at low frequency and allow genetic crosses, while self-fertilizing hermaphrodites make it easy to maintain stable lines. The species has become central to studies of development, aging, neurobiology, cell death, host-microbe interactions, and gene function.
In the lab, Caenorhabditis elegans is usually cultured on agar plates seeded with a bacterial food such as Escherichia coli OP50. At common incubator temperatures it grows from egg to adult in a few days, and strains can be frozen for long-term storage and revived when needed. Good husbandry means clean plates, correct strain labels, controlled temperature, and quick action against mold, mites, or unwanted bacteria. It is not a parasite and has no pet-keeping role, but its low cost and short life cycle make it a standard teaching and research organism.
