August, 2007

Case 209:
A 54-year-old Haitian man was admitted to a hospital emergency room with back pain and fever.  Blood was collected, and slides were made and stained with Giemsa.  Figures A-D show what was observed on a stained slide at 1000× magnification using oil immersion.  These images were submitted to DPDx for diagnostic confirmation.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

C	D

Acknowledgement: This case and images were kindly contributed by the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Laboratories.

Click here for the answer to Case 209.

Case 210:
A 32-year-old man went to his health care provider with complaints of bloating, intermittent diarrhea, and abdominal cramping.  He stated he liked to go camping and hunting and sometimes consumed the fish and game that he caught.  The man was asked to provide a stool specimen for testing.  The laboratory that performed the testing made a wet mount after using a concentration procedure.  Figures A and B show what was observed in low numbers on the slide.  The objects ranged in size from 45 to 58 micrometers in diameter.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

Click here for the answer to Case 210.

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.