IPLab:Lab 11:Malaria

Images

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  This is a high power photomicrograph of a thin smear of blood from this patient. Note that one of the RBCs has a ring stage trophozoite (arrow).

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  This is another high power photomicrograph of a thin smear of blood from this patient. There is a single eosinophil in this smear along with several RBCs containing ring stage trophozoites (arrows).

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  This is yet another high power photomicrograph of a thin smear of blood from this patient. There is one RBC that contains two ring stage trophozoites (arrow). This is characteristic of, but not diagnostic for, P. falciparum.

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  In this high power photomicrograph of a thin smear of blood from this patient there is one P. falciparum gametocyte (arrow). These gametocytes have a characteristic "banana" shape.

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  There is another example of a P. falciparum gametocyte (arrow) in this thin smear. There is a neutrophil in this field as well.

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  This high photomicrograph was taken from another patient who died of malignant cerebral malaria caused by P. falciparum. In this photomicrograph, a small artery (arrow) can be seen that is full of parasitized RBCs. These RBCs tend to clog small blood vessels and lead to cerebral ischemia/hypoxia.

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  In this peripheral smear from a different patient who was infected with P. vivax, the cytoplasm of the infected RBC has a stippled appearance (Schüffner's dots) (arrow). The RBC is also slightly enlarged.