Identification of Blastocystis hominis by colonic brush cytology. A case report.
Blastocystis hominis is a unicellular organism the pathogenic potential of which in humans remains unclear. It may be identified during a workup for gastrointestinal symptoms, usually in stool examined for ova and parasites. We describe a case in which B hominis was identified by cytologic examination in a patient with Crohn's disease who underwent colonoscopy and brushing of a transverse colon stricture. The morphologic features of this organism are described and contrasted with those of the uninucleate cyst form of Entamoeba histolytica.
Dellers
E A
EA
Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia 19107.
Dunn
J C
JC
DeSantis
P
P
Aronchick
C A
CA
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D016776:Blastocystis Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016845:Blastocystis hominis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans