We are in the home stretch for the microfilariae! Can you believe that we have just a few more to go? (Unless I decide to repeat some 😉) This week's case shows microfilariae that are approximately 200 micrometers long. The patient is a resident of Brazil and has moderate peripheral eosinophilia. He is otherwise asymptomatic.
Carazzi stain (Knott's concentration):
Giemsa stain (thick blood film):
Mansonella ozzardi microfilaria
ReplyDeleteThis is a rather small microfilaria, its width is only about half the diameter of the surrounding neutrophils. The Carrazi stain did not show a sheath either. As such, we can definitely rule out all the sheathed and large microfilaria. We know that we are dealing with Mansonella species. The tail of this Mansonella is not curved , this allows us to eliminate Mansonella streptocerca (strepto = curved, cerca = tail). The tail is also not pointed, this rules out Mansonella ozzardi. We only have one left with a blunt tail: Mansonella perstans which persists.
ReplyDeleteFlorida Fan
Agree with Florida Fan.
ReplyDeleteThere`s the other one :)
ReplyDeleteThe microfilariae of Mansonella perstans are reported to be longer (200×4–5 μm) than M. ozzardi (case 741), to have blunt rounded tails with nuclei extending to the tips.
UZ
Case 744?
ReplyDeleteCase study info?
DeleteGood catch, UZ. I clearly couldn't count yesterday ;)
ReplyDeleteBobbi