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Case #226 – April, 2008

A 32-year-old Latin American man sought medical attention for persistent fever and cough. A sputum specimen was collected for testing. Smears were prepared and stained with Giemsa. The images in Figures A and B show forms that were observed in very low numbers on the smears. Figures A and B were captured at 200x and 1000x oil magnification, respectively. The object measured approximately 490 micrometers in length. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?

Case226_A

Figure A

Case226_B

Figure B

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/.