Case #230 – June, 2008

A 29-year-old man presented to his physician with recurring abdominal cramping, watery diarrhea, and general fatigue. A stool specimen was collected for ova and parasite testing. The laboratory used a commercially available concentration method. The objects shown in Figures A and B were observed at 1000x magnification. The objects measured 40 and 43 micrometers in length respectively. What is your diagnosis? Based on what criteria?

Figure B

Figure A

The objects shown were artifacts, most-likely plant hairs. Although the general appearance of the objects resembled a nematode, features that helped differentiate these objects from a parasitic nematode included the small size of the objects and a lack of any internal organs.