Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites

This week's case was donated from one of our superstar pathology residents, Dr. Heidi Lehrke. The specimen was a tan-white tissue, appro...

Answer: Dipylidium caninum As mentioned by Florida Fan, the key to identifying this case is to recognize the thin outer cuticle (consisten...

Happy Holidays to all of my Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasite blog readers! Here is a fun holiday-themed case: 'Santa' delivering...

Answer:   Pthirus pubis, the crab louse; also nicknamed here 'Santa' louse. As so nicely described by Kamran and Florida Fan, ...

This week's case includes beautiful (and creepy) photographs and a movie from Dr. Graham Hickling at the University of Tennessee. The ...

Answer: Ixodes sp. adult female tick, laying eggs. If you watched the video, then you probably noticed the "inverted U-shaped" a...

This week's case is a bit of a challenge, and not something that has been featured on this blog before. It was generously donated by Dr....

Answer: Not a human parasite; most consistent with a member of the Myxozoa, aquatic parasitic animals. These are an incidental finding in ...

This lovely little family was found on a 20 year old male. Thanks to Florida Fan for donating this case!  Identification?

Answer: Pthirus pubis ('crab' lice) As noted by Arthur, "two females are apparent by the presence of a bifurcate posterior, w...