Answer to Case 710

Answer to the Parasite Case of the Week 710: Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes forming a pseudocyst in cardiac muscle. Note that you can make out the nucleus and kinetoplast of some of the amastigotes:

While I posted this on Valentine's day, Chagas disease is actually a story of heartbreak. Here is a rather poignant poem about Trypanosoma cruzi by @DrCindyCooper:

Fortunately treatment can be effective when the disease is caught early. April 14th is World Chagas Disease day, where the WHO and partners raise awareness pf this "silent disease" that affects mainly poor people with limited access to health care.