Figure 3.

Morphological abnormalities of adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis in response to x-ray irradiation as third-stage larvae. Sex determination was surmised for irradiated worms based on the relative size of worms within a treatment, where nonirradiated female worms are significantly larger than male worms. (A) Adult 0-Gy treated female (left) and male (right) worms with exoskeletons that are rigid and well-defined, dark brown intestine, female intertwined uterus and intestine. (B) Adult 150-Gy treated female (left) and male (right) worms with slight discoloration, growth retardation, flaccid exoskeleton, and less defined intertwined uterus and intestine in females. (C) Adult 400-Gy treated female (left) and male (right) worms, with severe discoloration, growth retardation, flaccid exoskeleton, and no intertwined uterus and intestine in females. (D) Size comparison of female adult worms between (I) 0, (II) 150, and (III) 400 Gy x-ray irradiation. (E) Size comparison of male adult worms between (I) 0, (II) 150, and (III) 400 Gy x-ray irradiation. Note: Images of adult worms were captured using a Leica S9 dissection microscope at 1.6× magnification with a Leica Reticule 100/0.001 attached to the eyepiece.