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Case #239 – November, 2008

A 50-year-old man went to his health care provider after a week of intermittent diarrhea, cramps and nausea. Stool specimens were collected over three consecutive days and sent to the local public health laboratory for routine ova and parasite (O&P) work-up. Figures AC show objects observed at 1000x magnification on a trichrome-stained slide prepared from the stool specimens. The objects measured approximately 12 micrometers in length. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

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/.