Artifacts & Confusers Flashcards
○ They are found primarily in stool and blood samples.
○ Structures that closely resemble parasites but in
reality, are not.
○ May be the result of disease processes, medications,
and/or dietary habits.
Artifacts and Confusers
Average size of Polymorphonuclear WBC is
15 um
WBCs are usually present in patients suffering
from :
-Ulcerative Colitis
-Bacterial dysentery or Intestinal Amebiasis
It has a two-to four-lobed nucleus, similar in
appearance to the E. histolytica nucleus.
-Often mistaken for amebic cysts,
WBC
TRUE OR FALSE:
Protozoan nuclear inclusions, such as karyosomes
and peripheral chromatin, are ABSENT in WBCs
True
Also known as macrophages or monocytes, may
range in size from 28 to 62 μm
-closely resemble the E. histolytica trophozoite
Mononuclear WBC
○ Thick-walled pollen grains resemble the eggs of
Taenia spp. but are smaller.
Pollen grains
○ May easily be confused with helminth eggs.
○ These cells are typically large and roundish oval to
irregularly round in shape.
○ Thick cell walls are usually present.
Vegetable Cells or Plant Cells
Average size of Vegetable Cells is up to
150 um
○ Often resemble helminth larvae in their shape and
size.
○ Unlike helminth larvae, however, vegetable spirals do
not have a head or tail.
Vegetable spirals
○ Most clinically significant.
-it indicates immune response of unknown origin
○ Due to eosinophil breakdown products
Charcot-Leyden Crystals
○ May be confused with protozoan cysts, especially
those Entamoeba hartmanni, Endolimax nana, and
Entamoeba hominis.
○ It also resembles the oocyst of Cryptosporidium.
Yeast
How to differentiate yeast from other protozoan cysts
is by having this unique characteristic:
Budding formation
Usually yeast is common when the patient is
Diabetic
○ May resemble helminth larvae in size and shape
○ May appear to have a nondescript internal structure
○ There is no head or tail region
Plant Hair
○ Resemble helminth eggs particularly an unfertilized
Ascaris lumbricoides
○ Size range: 12 – 150 um in diameter
○ Often rough in appearance and may have hairs
(pseudocilia) extending from its periphery.
Plant Material
○ Show a striking resemblance to amebic trophozoites
in size and shape.
Epithelial cells
Which parasite may be confused with epithelial cells
because of their similar size and shape?
Amebic trophozoites
○ May be similar to the size and shape of protozoan
cysts.
○ The lack of interior structures easily distinguishes
these artifacts from parasitic forms
Fungal Elements
○ Also referred to as starch granules
○ May appear at first glance to be protozoan cysts,
particularly those of E. hartmanni and E. nana.
○No karyosome or peripheral chromatin is present.
-dark blue-black appearance when stained with iodine
Starch cells
○ Often appear on Giemsa-stained blood film smears
and may be mistaken for malarial parasites,
especially the young trophozoite form
○ This artifact is common in blood sample.
Clumped or Fused Platelets
○ Giemsa-stain precipitate may be visible on blood
smears and may be mistaken for malarial parasites.
○ Stain precipitate is usually bluer in color than malarial
parasites and varies in size and shape
■ Under stain and over stain can affect results
Stain Precipitate
○ Such as Howell-Jolly bodies or Cabot’s rings may be
present on Giemsa-stained blood smears.
○ These abnormalities may be easily distinguished from
malarial parasites by their different staining
characteristics.
Red Cell abnormalities
- Seeing few meat fibers in DFS does
not necessarily means abnormalities. - seen in Creatorrhea
Meat Fibers
Normally seen in patients with inflammation of
pancreas we called it as pancreatitis or the event of
cystic fibrosis which is a disorder in pancreas.
Pancreatitis
○ Common crystal found in urine
○ Often seen in feces
○ Contaminant from the urine
Calcium Oxalate Crystals
○ May be mistaken from amoeba.
○ Oil bubbles came from fingertips.
Air Bubble or Oil Bubble
○ Resemble egg of hookworm.
○ Size: important aspect of identification
○ Hookworm: there is a thin hyaline shell
Mite Egg
SINO CUTE?!??!!?!?!
SYEMPRE SI SHEVHERU
