Morphological characterization of Moniliformis moniliformis isolated from an Iraqi patient

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Morphological characterization of Moniliformis moniliformis isolated from an Iraqi patient Amal Khudair Khalaf1 • Baydaa Furhan Swadi2 • Hossein Mahmoudvand3

Received: 2 April 2020 / Accepted: 5 October 2020 Ó Indian Society for Parasitology 2020

Abstract Infection with Moniliformis moniliformis is rare in Iraq since it has been recorded only twice by Ministry of Health. In the current study, the morphology of the parasite is evaluated to explain the basic structure of the parasite parasitizing a human body in Iraq, including the adult worm and the egg stage which is considered the diagnostic stage for the detection of the intestinal parasite in the stool sample. The assessment of the adult worm showed that it was white in color and had a pseudo-segmented shape, lacked the digestive system or alimentary canal, and was 133 mm in length. The anterior end bore the cylindricalshaped proboscis armed with 13 rows of hooks, each with 7–8 hooks and measured 0.42 9 0.21 mm. The egg was oval-shaped, covered with three envelops, contained hooks, and was 0.083 to 0.116 mm in length. The current study was performed on a single specimen that was revealed to be female during the examination. Keywords Moniliformis moniliformis  Morphology  Acanthocephalan  Iraq

& Amal Khudair Khalaf [email protected] 1

Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Thi-Qar, Thiqar, Iraq

2

College of Health and Medical Technology, Southern Technical University, Basrah, Iraq

3

Hepatitis Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Science, Khorramabad, Iran

Introduction Moniliformis moniliformis, which is commonly known as the thorny-headed worm, is the causative agent of acanthocephaliasis in humans (Meyers et al. 2000). It is an acanthocephalan that normally infects hamsters, white mice, cats, rats, and dogs in most parts of the world. It has a complex life cycle, in which humans, rats, mice, or dogs act as a definitive host, while the intermediate host is either beetles or cockroaches, which must be eaten by the definitive host (Gibson 2010). According to Schmidt (1971), M. moniliformis is accidentally found in humans. It is an endoparasite that is found in the intestine of its definitive host in most parts of the world (Roberts and Janovy 2005). The shape of the parasite seems to be segmented and the alimentary canal is absent. The sex of the parasite is separate and fertilization occurs between the male and female to release the oval-shaped eggs which contain internal hooks (Marty 1998; Sahar et al. 2006). Beetles and cockroaches are the intermediate hosts for the parasites. The eggs of the parasites are ingested by the intermediate host, in which they develop into the acanthor (the first larval stage), morphing into the second larval stage, namely the acanthella. Then, the acanthella becomes a cystacanth in the tissue of the intermediate host. The development of the parasite into the adult worm is completed in the definitive host when the intermediate host which contains the larval sta