February, 2003

Case 101:
A 3-year-old boy, born in Florida to Haitian parents, had never traveled outside the United States until he went to Haiti with his parents (12/17/02 to 1/8/03).  The boy developed an intermittent fever and lethargy after returning to Florida.  He was taken to a pediatrician who sent him to the emergency room of a local hospital for a sepsis work-up to rule out meningitis.  Below are images from the boy’s blood smears that were stained with Wright’s-Giemsa.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what specific criteria?

A	B

Click here for the answer to Case 101.

Case 102:
A research study was conducted in a small community in Haiti to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic diseases in school-age children.  The formalin-ethyl acetate (FEA) concentration procedure was performed on stool specimens collected from all participants.  The following images show an object measuring 280 µm in length that was seen on one of the stool smears (Figures A and B).  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

Click here for the answer to Case 102.

Images presented in the monthly case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving.  On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.