Case #230 – June, 2008
A 29-year-old man presented to his physician with recurring abdominal cramping, watery diarrhea, and general fatigue. A stool specimen was collected for ova and parasite testing. The laboratory used a commercially available concentration method. The objects shown in Figures A and B were observed at 1000x magnification. The objects measured 40 and 43 micrometers in length respectively. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?
Figure B
Figure A
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/.