Answer to the Parasite Case of the Week 730: Acanthamoeba keratitis.
As noted by Anonymous, the pictures are a perfect rendition of the “thorny” Acanthamoeba trophozoite and its polygonal cyst (acanth is New Latin, from Greek akanthos, from akantha thorn, spine). Cysts have 2 layers: a wrinkled outer layer (ectocyst) and inner layer (endocyst) that can be polygonal, spherical, hexagonal, or star-shaped.
Dr. Satishkumar Krishnam further described the trophozoite as "characterized by spine like pseudopodia (acanthopodia)." Chuck Blend noted that it looks like the first few seconds of a new proto-universe forming!
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