{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T19:25:22Z","timestamp":1776799522224,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,22]],"date-time":"2024-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1734825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002383","name":"King Saud University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002383","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Microscopy Res &amp; Technique"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title><jats:p>Ascariasis, caused by the parasitic roundworm <jats:italic>Ascaris lumbricoides<\/jats:italic>, is a major public health issue, especially in developing nations such as Pakistan. It impacts millions, causing significant morbidity through starvation, stunted growth in children, and a variety of gastrointestinal issues. The taxonomy of the <jats:italic>Ascaris<\/jats:italic> genus, notably the distinction between <jats:italic>A. lumbricoides<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Ascaris suum,<\/jats:italic> has led to ongoing debate among parasitologists. Consequently, the current study intends to provide morphological characterization of <jats:italic>A. lumbricoides<\/jats:italic> from Pakistan, using scanning electron microscopy to uncover precise anatomical traits that may aid in resolving the taxonomic controversy surrounding the <jats:italic>Ascaris<\/jats:italic> genus. A cross\u2010sectional survey of 1641 individuals was undertaken. Participants filled out structured questionnaires and provided informed consent. After anthelmintic treatment, expelled worms were collected in sterile jars, washed, and preserved in a glycerin\u2010alcohol solution for morphometric examination. Histological examination of transverse section of female worm reproductive system was performed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the head, cuticle, and caudal regions of the worms. Statistical analyses were performed using <jats:italic>t<\/jats:italic>\u2010tests and ANOVA, with significance determined as <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009\u2264\u20090.05. When the worms were collected, they ranged in hue from light to pale pink to reddish, then grayish\u2010white to creamy white. Female were distinguished on their large size, straight posterior end with no copulatory bursa and vulvar waist, while male worms were dorsally curved at posterior end. Of the 90 worms measured, 33 were males and 57 were females. The adult female <jats:italic>Ascaris<\/jats:italic> worms were significantly (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009\u2264\u20090.0001) larger in body length and width as compared to adult male worms. Furthermore, adult females from different districts had significant differences in body length (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.003) and width (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.00004), although male body length did not differ substantially among districts (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u20090.243). Scanning electron microscopy of <jats:italic>A. lumbricoides<\/jats:italic> revealed a head with two subventral lips and a dorsal lip, as well as dentigerous ridges and a triradiate mouth. The cuticle had thick, transversely striated patterns, with clear contrasts between the ventral and dorsal surfaces. The male's caudal area contained mammiliform precloacal papillae and a rectangular anal orifice, but the female had a knob\u2010like structure with uneven striation pattern. The transverse section of female reproductive system consists of two large uteri containing developing eggs, coiled ovaries, and oviducts. Overall, the study revealed valuable insights on this nematode's complicated morphology. By adding new data to the current body of knowledge, this study seeks to improve our understanding of ascariasis and its implications for public health in affected regions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/jemt.24776","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,22]],"date-time":"2024-12-22T12:49:15Z","timestamp":1734871755000},"page":"1142-1154","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Resolving Taxonomic Ambiguities in <i>Ascaris<\/i> Species: Insights From a Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of <i>Ascaris lumbricoides<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"88","author":[{"given":"Amjad Ullah","family":"Khan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sabika","family":"Firasat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khalid Mashay","family":"Al\u2010Anazi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, College of Science King Saud University  Riyadh Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohammad Abul","family":"Farah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, College of Science King Saud University  Riyadh Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ali","family":"Said","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shahzad","family":"Hussain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aqsa","family":"Bibi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Talha","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Majid","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Umer","family":"Chaudhry","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine Long Island University Newyork  USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3979-7606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kiran","family":"Afshan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences Quaid\u2010i\u2010Azam University  Islamabad Pakistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ribal","family":"Sajjad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"West Viriginia School of Osteopathic Medicine  Lewisburg USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gulnora","family":"Mirzaeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Entomology Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan  Tashkent Uzbekistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bakhtiyor","family":"Kholmatov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Entomology Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan  Tashkent Uzbekistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,22]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","first-page":"342","article-title":"Morphological Differences Between Ascaris From Man and Pigs","volume":"6","author":"Abdulkachman S.","year":"1954","journal-title":"Documenta de Medicina Geographica et Tropica"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.32413\/pjph.v10i1.309"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598\u2010020\u201078743\u2010y"},{"issue":"2","key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","first-page":"275","article-title":"Ascariasis","volume":"29","author":"AL\u2010kahfaji M. 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