May, 2005

Case 155:
An 8-year-old boy complained of bloating and intermittent diarrhea, and he told his mother he had passed a worm when he went to the bathroom.  They went to a physician and reported that the boy had a history of chronic stomach problems and gastrointestinal reflux.  No travel history or date of symptom onset was given.  The physician ordered an ova and parasite (O & P) examination.  A stool specimen was collected at a local medical facility and submitted for testing.  Figures A and B show objects that were seen on a wet mount smear, at 100× and 200× magnification respectively, from an FEA concentration performed at the California State Department of Health Services laboratory.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A

B

Acknowledgement: This case was kindly contributed by the California State Department of Health Services laboratory.

Click here for the answer to Case 155.

Case 156:
A 25-year-old man living in South America became ill with intestinal cramping and watery diarrhea.  Stool specimens were collected and an O & P exam was ordered by his physician.  The lab performed an FEA concentration on the sample, prepared wet mounts, and examined them using UV fluorescence microscopy.  Images were captured and submitted to DPDx/CDC.  Figures A and B were taken at 400× magnification.  What is your diagnosis?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

Click here for the answer to Case 156.

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.