This is an egg ofAscaris lumbricoides. Ascarides are roundworms, a common parasitic infection throughout the world. It is estimated that as many as 1 billion people (one sixth of the world population) may be infected with roundworms.
Review Date: 5/2/2006
Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, MD, MSc, DTM&H, Infectious Diseases Division and Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.