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Answer to Case 709
 Answer to the Parasite Case of the Week 709:Taeniasp. cysticercus (larval form) in muscle. Since this case was from my archives, I don ' t know the source of the muscle (i.e., human vs. cow); however, given the number of cysticerci present and the co-existence ofSarcocystissp. sarcocysts (not shown well, but you can see them if you enlarge the two images), I ' m guessing it was a bovine case. Regardless of the origin, the features seen here are characteristic for cysticerci, including the overall shape and size, and the appearance of the internal protoscolex. Note the spiral canal which is often one of the clearest i...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - February 6, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 708
We ' re on a roll with parasites in muscle biopsies! Here is one from my archives. No history, but the findings are classic. Diagnosis? How is this different from the muscle parasites in the last 2 cases? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 28, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 708
 Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 708:Trichinellasp. larva; coiled within a muscle " nurse cell " . Larvae are the only form seen in muscle with this infection. Compare this to ourrecent case ofHaycocknema perplexuminfection in which gravid female worms were seen ' crawling ' through the muscle fibers. These two helminths are also quite different than muscle infection with the protozoan parasite,Sarcocystis, as shown inCase 707. Keep an eye our for our next case that will show a very different parasite in muscle! Trichinellasp. larva within muscle: Note the presence of stichocytes - tall cells tha...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 27, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 707
This week ' s case features another muscle biopsy - this time from a middle aged man from China with recent visit to Pangkor island. Approximately 10 days after his trip, he presented with high fever, headache, and generalized myalgia. Light microscopic evaluation of H&E-stained sections of muscle showed the following parasites within muscle fibers. What is your diagnosis?  (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 17, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 707
 Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 707:Sarcocystisspecies. Molecular testing is required for identification of the causative species. This case shows a single intramuscular sarcocyst containing multiple bradyzoites. The clinical history and epidemiology also supports a diagnosis of sarcocystosis.Many of you rightly suggested that the differential diagnosis includesToxoplasma gondii,a related apicomplexan parasite which can form similar-appearing cysts in tissues throughout the body. Toxoplasmosis involving skeletal muscle is seen primarily in profoundly immunocompromised individuals with widely disseminated ...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 15, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 706
Happy New Year! I thought I ' d kick off the year with a fascinating and enigmatic parasite that can cause very rare but devastating disease in humans. The patient is a man in his late 30 ' s who presented with 8 years of progressive weakness, significant weight loss (>30 kg), dysphagia, and dysphonia. His creatine kinase levels were elevated and he had peripheral eosinophilia. He was previously healthy prior to the onset of symptoms, but was wheel-chair bound on presentation. The patient had spent a significant amount of time in the bush regions of coastal northern Queensland, Australia.Muscle biopsy revealed muscle da...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 2, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 706
 Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 706:Haycocknema perplexuminfectionWow, I am so impressed by the responses on this case! There are many helpful comments and links in the comment section of this blog which you may want to check out.Haycocknema perplexuminfection (haycocknematosis) is an extremely rare parasitic infection. There have only been 13 humans cases (including this one) reported to date. As Florida Fan noted, Blaine and I previously presented this case as a poster, and it has now been published inEmerging Infectious Diseases. You can read the articleHERE. The article describes the diagnostic features of...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - January 1, 2023 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 705
 Happy Holidays to all of my wonderful readers! Here is a compilation of all of my holiday images since 2007. Can you tell what they all are?  (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - December 25, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

The festive parasites of 2022 revealed!
Here are the identities of our festive friends. Wishing you all a fabulous new year! (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - December 24, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 704
This week ' s case with fantastic photos and videos is courtesy of Dr. Harsha Sheorey. The following objects were seen in skin scrapings. Diagnosis?Here are sections from the corresponding biopsy: (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - December 12, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 704
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 704:Sarcoptes scabieimite and eggs. This case nicely demonstrates several key diagnostic features, including the presence of a (moving!) nymph, eggs containing developing nymphs, and histologic sections of mites and eggs within the epidermis. Thanks again to Harsha for sharing this outstanding case. (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - December 11, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 703
 This week ' s case is from Idzi Potters, Michiel R., and theInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp. An adult male with quite an extensive travel life as a photographer in Africa (DR Congo and Ethiopia), is now since 2 months in Rwanda when he finds the following structure of almost 15cm in length in his underwear (after having an awkward sensation at the level of the anus).Can you identify this structure? (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - November 29, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 703
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 703:  MaleAscaris lumbricoidesAs noted by Florida Fan, Dwight Ferris, and several others on Twitter and LinkedIn, we can tell that this is a male because of its curved tail. You can also see the characteristic mouthparts with 3 fleshy lips on the anterior end (if you zoom in quite a bit):Note that this is a freshly-passed specimen, and fresh specimens may have a red-pink color. Given the color and size, this specimen may also be mistaken for an earthworm. Sam noted that the current specimen " can be differentiated from an earthworm as it lacks a clitellum (which is seen in earthw...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - November 27, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Case of the Week 702
This week ' s fun find came from our Clinical Mycology lab, where the astute technologists noticed this object on a microscopic evaluation of skin scrapings treated with calcofluor white. Identification? Is there any need to call the ordering clinician?  (Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites)
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - November 22, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs

Answer to Case 702
Answer to theParasite Case of the Week 702:Demodexspecies; most likelyD. brevisdue to the short length of the posterior body (opisthosoma). As noted by Florida Fan,D. brevisinhabits the human sebaceous glands. This is in contrast to its lengthier neighbor,D. follicularis,which typically inhabits hair follicles. They are both primarily found in the face, including the eyelashes, eyebrows, and around the nose. Demodexspp. have 8 legs like other arachnids. The stubby legs end in blunt claws without pulvilli or suckers.Demodexmites also have short, blunt mouthparts and the body is elongated to a posterior point. Note that...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - November 21, 2022 Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs