An official website of the United States government
Case #169 – December, 2005
A 28-year-old man complained of gastrointestinal pain and bloating. At the request of his health care provider, he submitted a fecal specimen preserved in low viscosity polyvinyl alcohol (LV-PVA). A trichrome stained smear was made from some of the specimen. Figure A shows an object, measuring 10 to 12 micrometers at its greatest diameter, that was seen in low numbers on the slide. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?
Figure A
Images presented in the DPDx case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving. On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.
DPDx is an educational resource designed for health professionals and laboratory scientists. For an overview including prevention, control, and treatment visit www.cdc.gov/parasites/.