Case of the Week 573

By Bobbi Pritt, M.D. • December 18, 2019

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This week's case is from Dr. Charles (Chuck) Sturgis. He noted the following structures on a Papanicolaou-stained anal Pap smear (performed for cancer screening). They measure approximately 14 micrometers in length. What's the identification?

Read Dr. Pritt's blog, Parasite Wonders, and submit your answers, comments, and questions. Also, visit her website ParasiteWonders.com, which hosts an archive of classic images from cases Dr. Pritt posted going back to 2007 (in an easy-to-search "A through Z" format) and also offers a flashcard feature.

Answer to Case 573:

Giardia duodenalis (a.k.a. G. lamblia, G. intestinalis) cysts

Bobbi Pritt, M.D.

Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSc, is a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and the Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. She is also the Chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology. Her research interests are in clinical parasitology, vector-borne diseases and the pathology of infectious diseases.