Plasmodium species (continued)
P. falciparum
SHAPE: Crescent; banana.
CYTOPLASM: Light blue.
CHROMATIN MASS: Central; fragmented.
SIZE: Longer than the RBC's diameter.
HEMOZOIN PIGMENT: Red-black; clustered about the chromatin.
INFECTED ERYTHROCYTE: Stretched; ghost cell.
Figure 2-23. Gametocytes, Plasmodium. (concluded)
NOTE:
See Figures 1-7, 1-8, 2-7, 2-8, 3-7, 4-6 and 4-7 in Appendix C for additional
illustrations.
THICK DROP PREPARATION
SPECIATION: Most difficult to accomplish except with the gametocyte of P. falciparum,
CYTOPLASM: Scattered or fractured; blue.
CHROMATIN MASS: Red to deep magenta.
HEMOZOIN PIGMENT: Clumped,
ERYTHROCYTES: Lysed; may be seen outlined by the granules.
PROPER DENSITY OF SMEAR: 10 to 30 WBC's per oil immersion field.
FIBRIN: Only a few bluish strands are acceptable.
PROBLEMS: Confusion with other structures such as: platelets, WBCs, bacteria,
cellular debris, stain crystals, and other artifacts.
PRECIPITATE: Proper rinsing and procedure should eliminate background elements.
MD0842
2-29