bannermenu

Case #325 – June, 2012

A 26-year-old man was seen by his health care provider for the sensation of something moving in his mouth. He reported a history of such sensations since he was age 12. He was referred to an otolaryngologist who observed a serpentine-like lesion, with possible movement, in the lateral left soft palate. A worm-like structure was removed surgically and sent to the DPDx Team for identification. Figure A shows a gross image of the entire worm. Figures B and C show the anterior and posterior ends, respectively, and were captured at 100x magnification. Figure D shows the mid-section, captured at 200x magnification. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

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/.