Miscellaneous Intestinal Nematodes

Moniliformis moniliformis. Egg in fecal smear (unstained, high power). This acanthocephalan egg is larger (90-125 um by 65 um) than that of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus. It is elongatedly oval and has a thick, smooth, clear shell that allows the acanthor larva with its hooks to be clearly seen. The parasite is commonly found in rats, is transmitted by ingestion of an infected insect, and can cause disease in humans similar to that associated with M. hirudinaceus.