Sunday, August 15, 2010

Answer to Case 127

Answer: Charcot-Leyden crystals.
I received some very nice comments on this post -

Anonymous (x2), Kathy, and BW from VT all correctly recognized these striking slender crystals. They have a characteristic shape, described as "a pair of hexagonal pyramids joined at their bases", with pointed ends. They are normally colorless, but take on a striking pink-orange color with the commonly used modified trichrome for stool preparations. They also vary in size and may be as large as 50 µm in length.

Charcot-Leyden crystals consist of lysophospholipase, which is an enzyme synthesized by eosinophils. They are produced from the breakdown of these cells, and therefore, are seen in conditions in which eosinophils are common, such as allergic conditions or tissue-invading parasites.

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