Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Case of the Week 511

This week's case is a centrifuged urine specimen obtained from a child from Sub-Saharan Africa. Many ovoid, elongate, and 'lemon-shaped' objects are seen, ranging in size from 50 to 150 micrometers in length.


What are these objects? Special thanks to Heather Rose, our fabulous parasitology technical specialist, for providing these images.




12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The smaller rhombic shaped objects are crystals possibly uric acid in origin. The large one in the last picture has a terminal caudal spike. There seems to be also a cercaria inside. This makes it compatible with Schistosoma haematobium ova.
Florida Fan

Luis said...

Schistosoma haematobium eggs , it is visible the terminal spine

Idzi P. said...

Uric acid crystals, together with Schistosoma haematobium eggs (in second and third image). In the second image, the Schisto egg is hidden, but the spine and miracidium are visible.
Very nice pictures, demonstrating possible confusion!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Idzi for giving us the correct stage.
Florida Fan

Anonymous said...

Uova di Schistosoma haematobium e cristalli di Acido urico.

Carlo Alberto Varlani

Unknown said...

Schistosoma haematobium eggs

Atiya kausar said...

Clear images with terminal spine and visible miracidium...adding to the geographic location ...centrifuged urine sample..all point Schistosoma haematobium eggs.... 👌Ve Ve clear beautiful pics

Old One said...

I agree with the identification of Schistosoma haematobium eggs. As for the variable yellow lemon shaped structures, I bow to the others for identifying uric acid crystals.

I have had gout for over 50 years. My imagination had me believing urate crystals were shaped like needles and covered with razor sharp hooks. The real thing appears rather benign and quite incapable of causing the extreme pain that they do.

Hopefully the patient has been further tested for gout and treated. I suspect the gout could be causing more misery (although not as damaging to health) than the flukes.

Blaine A. Mathison said...

I don't have much more to add that hasn't already been said: Schistosoma haematobium and uric acid crystals!

William Sears said...

S haematobium egg as well as urine crystals

Unknown said...

Where can one obtain a consultation in Chico, California, with a parasitologist, or equally qualified specialist who will 1) take my dilemma and symptoms seriously and 2) behave in a professional manner required by the Hippocratic oath? I was treated in a most insulting way by the head physician at The Shalom Free Clinic, in front of two interns and had to walk out to retain my dignity after being laughed at and ridiculed for suggesting Schistosomas Mansoni as the cause of the pencil diameter sized holes appearing on every inch of my dermis (in great number on my lower legs and feet, the eggs, cercariae, miracidium that daily multiple times i "peel" out of my nasal cavity, eyelids, ears, moles and calluses, from under toe- and finger nails, genitals and urethra, anus, scalp, gums and tongue and all of which I've taken very detailed photos of over the last THREE YEARS experiencing ever worsening symptoms.

I've also been misdiagnosed at Planned Parenthood as having "... some kind of insect bites... " With a treatment plan of "just stop scratching!"

My requests for parasite testing was laughed at there too. I am now coughing up late phlegm globs with what look very similar to the above frames in this article. The eggs, which have the angled spine, are oozing out of the pores on my lower legs and I'm having to become very careful about scratching any itch as most times the itchy skin painfully (rug burn sensation) sloughs off under my finger nails. I have very close up, very clear photos of miracidium (bifarcated tail and all), eggs, and flat worms extracted from my nose and ears, a will as a5 (five) inch fully matured Mansoni male with female wrapped within which I found on my carpet under my couch. The pictures are worthy of National Geographic and unnerving of not outright horrifying to at.

I've got no insurance, no job, and no income. I'm fortunate to have an apartment provided by a relative. Everyone on the property has most of my symptoms and are in denial. My girlfriend is becoming increasingly I'll as I gave it to her through intercourse over two years ago. She is deathly afraid of doctors and hospitals, even though having medical coverage.
I am more scared than I've been yet and I read that 20% of victims die. But the u.s. Medical establishment disregards these parasites as a diagnosis and immediately changes focus to behavioral health.

Please, ANY logical, rational suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Unknown said...

Here are links to view the Mansoni male/female I found underneath the love seat in our 't.v. room'. If this isn't Mansoni, or Schistosoma for that matter, then what IS this and how would it come to be on the floor in my apartment? The other viewing links provided are all life forms I pulled from my nasal cavity. Any help in identification will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AEab0JCUvOJ7M2HxIRAvipIzC22TPksYKA/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14St4xe5zYGIZIuOQi0w5eyaFKajWoC8Lhg/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O4jmgzicd0SH86nJtNpdFaXc0bwvJFcSIw/view?usp=sharing

Here's some of what I regularly pull out of my nasal cavity.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IWOiULrGk9i4uIorJo_54yzPtaeCXGIQrg