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Monthy Case Studies - 2001
Case #56 - March, 2001
A 25-year-old man came to the United States from Ghana in 1997 and later joined the U.S. Army. While in Ghana, the man bathed, swam, did laundry, and drank from the Volta River, which was close to his home. In early 2000, he began noticing blood in his urine. He was diagnosed with a venereal disease, treated, and released. He continued to have symptoms (hematuria) and was seen by a urologist, who ordered a bladder biopsy. Figures A, B, C, and D show what was found in H & E (hematoxylin and eosin) stained sections of his bladder wall. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?
Figure A
Figure B
Figure C
Figure D
Acknowledgement: This case was kindly provided by the U.S. Army.
Answer to Case #56
This was a case of schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium. Diagnostic features observed were:
- the size and shape of the eggs, which were consistent with that of S. haematobium. The eggs in Figures C and D clearly showed the typical terminal spine.
- the presence of a miracidium in the eggs (Figures C and D).
- the location of these eggs (the bladder walls) in the patient.
More on: Schistosomiasis
Images presented in the monthly case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving. On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.
