‭Artefacts‬

‭Topic 8‬

‭ efinition‬
D ‭P lant Spines‬
‭Other things, living or artificial, present‬
‭in the stool that are not parasites and‬
‭could misled the laboratory worker‬
‭Note: Artefacts not to be mistaken for‬
‭cysts‬

‭Intro‬
‭●‬ W
‭ hen examining faeces for‬
‭parasites, be mindful of:‬
‭○‬ ‭Characteristics of the‬ ‭●‬ P
‭ lant spines are something‬
‭specific parasite material,‬ ‭mistaken for nematode larva;‬
‭you are searching for‬ ‭however, a nematode larvae‬
‭○‬ ‭Non-parasitic material‬ ‭would have a head, and a tail‬
‭that may be included in‬ ‭(they aren’t bound broken in the‬
‭the sample‬ ‭middle).‬
‭○‬ ‭P seudoparasites which‬
‭may be present, but are‬ ‭Fungal Spores‬
‭not harmful to the host.‬

‭Here are a couple of‬‭g uidelines‬‭:‬

‭●‬ ‭Know‬‭the shape and size of the‬
‭e ggs and cysts you could‬
‭potentially find in the faeces of‬
‭the animal you are examining‬
‭●‬ ‭Remember‬‭; Parasite eggs and‬
‭cysts are, in general, regularly‬
‭shaped and fell within a size‬
‭r ange about 2 to 200‬
‭micrometres.‬
‭●‬ T
‭ hese are very common in‬
‭faeces of herbivores. Note that‬
‭although they are of the right‬
‭size and shape, their contents‬
‭are homogeneous and there is‬
‭the remnant of the hyphae still‬
‭attached to one end, if the‬
‭hyphae has completely broken‬
‭off, a curved depression would‬
‭be evident where it once was‬
‭attached.‬
‭P lant Cells‬ ‭Yeast Cell‬

‭Above: Bud of a yeast cell‬

‭●‬ N
‭ ote the irregular borders of‬
‭the cell membrane surrounding‬ ‭Silica crystal‬
‭the lipid storage product.‬

‭Air bubbles, Spores, or Pellon Grains‬

‭●‬ A
‭ lthough the pollen grain in the‬
‭image to the immediate right is‬
‭r egular in shape and within the‬ ‭Epithelial Cell‬
‭size range. Its contents are‬
‭homogeneous in nature, i.e. It is‬
‭filled, well to well, with one‬
‭u ndifferentiated substance. Air‬
‭bubbles are perfectly round and‬
‭e mpty‬

‭Fungal Spore‬
‭P lant Seed‬

‭P ecan Pollen Grain‬

‭Blastocystis hominis‬

‭●‬ R
‭ ound or oval, sometimes with‬
‭angular irregular edges, contain‬
‭one large vacuole taking up‬
‭almost the whole cell; the‬
‭compressed cytoplasm forms a‬
‭granular ring around it.‬
‭Yeast‬ ‭L eukocytes‬
‭●‬ ‭Ovel, often with buds, often‬
‭contain eccentric cluster of 3-6‬
‭small granules‬
‭●‬ ‭S ome related forms of years are‬
‭r ectangular, with a very clear‬
‭oval cytoplasm inside:‬
‭anthrosporers‬
‭●‬ R ‭ ound or slightly elongated with‬
‭an irregular outline. Contain‬
‭r efractive cytoplasm clear and‬
‭granular with tiny vacuoles.‬
‭●‬ ‭Nucleus indistinct, sometimes‬
‭with a star-shaped false‬
‭karyosome‬

‭P us‬

‭ eft: yeast‬
L
‭R ight: Giardia lamblia cyst‬

‭●‬ Y
‭ east in an iodine-stained‬
‭concentrated wet mount of‬
‭stool. Yeast in wet mount may‬
‭be confused for‬‭Giardia lamblia‬
‭cyst.‬
‭●‬ P ‭ us can be seen by the naked‬
‭e yes as opaque, grey-ish‬
‭streaks (not transparent like‬
‭mucus)‬
‭●‬ ‭Under the microscope it appear‬
‭as a mass of more or less‬
‭degenerate leukocytes‬
‭Coccidia‬
‭●‬ ‭T hese are protozoa that may be‬
‭a parasite of men‬‭w ithout‬
‭causing any significant‬
‭pathogenic effect, or may be‬
‭found in transit in stool‬
‭following the consumption of‬
‭infected foods.‬
‭●‬ ‭T hey appear in stool in a form‬ ‭Air Bubbles‬
‭r esembling cyst called oocysts‬
‭or sporocysts.‬
‭●‬ ‭An elongated oval, sometimes‬
‭tapered at one pole‬
‭●‬ ‭T here are three types‬
‭○‬ ‭4 sporozoites (small‬
‭banana shaped rods).‬
‭Each containing a small‬
‭r ound nucleus,‬
‭sometimes a few large‬ ‭O il Droplet‬
‭granules massed at one‬
‭pole‬
‭○‬ ‭One large round granular‬
‭cell.‬
‭○‬ ‭R efractile granules‬
‭completely fill the‬
‭interior‬
‭Fungal Spores‬
‭Hair Fibre‬

‭●‬ F
‭ ungal spores in a wet mount of‬
‭stool Such spores may be‬
‭confused for the cysts of‬
‭Entamoeba spp.‬
‭P lant Cell‬
‭P lant Fibre‬ ‭●‬ ‭May be confused with helminths‬
‭e ggs‬

‭Strongyloides stercoralis‬‭larvae‬

‭●‬ S
‭ trongyloides stercoralis may‬
‭be mistaken with plant fibre‬

‭●‬ M
‭ isdiagnosis can lead to‬
‭improper treatment‬
 ‭Epithelial Cells‬

‭●‬ M
‭ uscle fibres are included‬
‭(those with striations)‬ ‭M acrophages‬

‭P lant Cells‬

‭RBCs‬
‭Charcot-Leyden Crystals‬

‭●‬ R
‭ esult from the disintegration of‬
‭e osinophils‬ ‭P ollen Grains‬
 ‭a .‬ I‭ odine should be added‬
‭to the wet preparation so‬
‭that the internal‬
‭structures of the cyst is‬
‭stained and identifiable‬
‭2.‬ ‭Amoebic trophozoites: must be‬
‭differentiation from‬
‭non-pathogenic protozoan‬
‭trophozoites and macrophages‬
‭Starch Granules‬ ‭a .‬ ‭Trophozoites of‬
‭Entamoeba‬
‭histolytica/dispar bust‬
‭b e motile and‬
‭hematophagous‬
‭b .‬ ‭M acrophages found in‬
‭cases of intestinal‬
‭a moebiasis are‬
‭d istinguishable from‬
‭a moebic trophozoites‬
‭Crystals‬ ‭b y possessing a larger‬
‭nucleus and, although‬
‭they can be‬
‭haematophagous, they‬
‭a re only motile for a very‬
‭short time. Their‬
‭pseudopodia are small,‬
‭b lunt and granular‬
‭3 .‬ ‭Ova, their general shape except‬
‭for‬‭Enterobius‬‭, is perfectly‬
‭ on-parasitic Structure Found in‬
N ‭symmetrical distinguishing‬
‭Stool‬ ‭them from various objects‬
‭Non-parasitic objects may be‬ ‭found in stools‬
‭misidentified as parasites. The‬ ‭4 .‬ ‭Trichuris‬‭and‬‭Taenia‬‭ova may be‬
‭differentiation of the most common‬ ‭confused wth pollen grains‬
‭pseudoparasites is as follow:‬ ‭5.‬ ‭Ascaris ova may be confused‬
‭1.‬ ‭P rotozoan cyst: may be‬ ‭with vegetable cells, the latter‬
‭confused with air bubbles, fat‬ ‭having smooth, thick walls but‬
‭globules or yeasts.‬ ‭irregular shape.‬
‭6.‬ S ‭ trongyloides‬‭or hookworm‬
‭larvae can be confused with hair‬
‭or vegetable fibres. The latter‬
‭are usually tapered at one end‬
‭and the other being blunt and‬
‭with no internal structure‬
‭a .‬ ‭Free living nematode‬
‭larvae may be found in‬
‭concentrates if‬
‭contaminated water is‬
‭used.‬
‭7.‬ ‭Fasciola‬‭ova resemble‬
‭vegetable cells‬
‭8.‬ ‭Insect may be found in stools as‬
‭a spurious infection. Mite eggs‬
‭may be confused with‬
‭hookworm eggs.‬
‭9.‬ ‭D ipylidium caninum‬‭e gg sacs‬
‭can look similar to vegetable‬
‭cells.‬
‭10.‬‭Other structures found in stool‬
‭are crystals. Charcot-Layden‬
‭are the breakdown products of‬
‭e osinophil cells and may be‬
‭present in stools or sputum‬
‭11.‬ ‭S tarch granules are sometimes‬
‭seen in stool. When undigested,‬
‭they appear as concentric rings‬
‭and stain blue with iodine, when‬
‭partially digested, they stain‬
‭r ed.‬