| The diagnostic form of Blastocystis hominis found in the stool of patients varies in size from 6 to 40 µm. The parasite is characterized by a central body that morphologically resembles a vacuole. The central body pushes the nuclei to the periphery of the cell. The taxonomy of B. hominis has been confusing, it is currently considered a protozoan. |  |
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The image above is from a fecal sample stained with trichrome stain. The image to the left is a wet-mount stained with iodine. Both are 1000x magnification. |
Copyright 2008 Don Lehman