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Case #497 – August, 2019

A 21-year-old exchange student from Nigeria presented to the University Clinic with a 3-day history of diarrhea, mild abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Stool samples collected in 10% formalin and Zn-PVA fecal preservatives were sent to the laboratory for analysis. Figures AD show organisms seen by the technologist in a trichrome-stained slide of the Zn-PVA sample. The organisms ranged in size from 12-26 μm. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria? What other testing, if any, would you recommend?

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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/.