Monday, June 1, 2015

Case of the Week 351

Greetings from the New Orleans, the site of the 2015 ASM general meeting! This week's case is a conventional endocervical smear stained with Papanicolaou stain. The images are taken at 400x total magnification, with the orange-staining structures measuring approximately 60 micrometers in length.



Identification?

8 comments:

  1. Looks like nice little Enterobius vermicularis eggs, however, this is the first time I have seen them in a pap culture as I am just a student. Can't wait to see the answer!

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  2. I Agree, Enterobius vermicularis! Perfect size, probably introduced via contamination from the perianal area. Thanks, great case

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  3. hmm...Enterobius vermicularis eggs,they can found in ectopic sites,causing vulvitis,vulvo-vaginitis,endometritis and salphingitis.

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  4. Enterobius vermicularis ova. Though the site is uncommon, genital infections on female patients has been described in the literatures.

    Florida Fan

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  5. Enterobius vermicularis. Shape and size are characteristic.

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  6. Enterobius vermicularis. Shape and size are characteristic.

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  7. How are stains chosen for these pictures. Are the stains standard for the assay, do you always run a panel of stains, or are the stains chosen retrospectively to make for the best pictures? --bks

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  8. Bks - good question! The cases I show come from a number of sources and therefore the stains are usually those that are for done routine care of the patient. If the specimens were processed by surgical pathology or cyropathology (like this case), then the routine stains would be H&E and Papanocolaou respectively. However, I prefer to show standard microbiology preparations most frequently, and the stains are therefore the ones that are used in my lab. Sometimes when the case is unusual or really interesting, we will do some non-traditional stains just for fun. Of course, for the cases that are donated from my readers, the stains are those that are used in their lab. I hope this answers your question! Thanks for writing in. Bobbi

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