July, 2005

Case 159:
A 25-year-old woman had a few mildly scaly lesions on her forehead.  She saw her physician and initially it was thought that she had a fungal lesion.  Figure A-C show what was seen in skin scrapings from the lesion.  The object shown was approximately .25mm long.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

C

Acknowledgement: This case was kindly contributed by Dr. CSBR Prasad, Vindhya Clinic and Diagnostic Lab, India.

Click here for the answer to Case 159.

Case 160:
A 61-year-old New England resident was visiting his relatives in Georgia for the summer.  He had recurring fevers and general weakness and at night he often experienced gastrointestinal discomfort.  His relatives took him to a local hospital where he was examined and both blood and stool were collected for testing.  An ova and parasite (O & P) examination was ordered for the stool specimen, and blood smears were made from the blood specimen and stained with Wrights-Giemsa.  The O & P was negative for parasites.  Figure A is taken from an area of the stained thick blood smear, and Figures B-D were from the thin smear.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

C	D

Click here for the answer to Case 160.

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.