PARA-Artifacts/Confusers

• WBC - amebic cyst
• RBC abnormalities - malarial parasite / stain differently according to abnormalities
• Platelets (clumped/fused) - malarial parasite / in young trophozoite
• Stain Precipitate - Malarial parasite / bluer in color on giemsa stain
• Pollen grains - taenia spp. / echinococcus spp., no interior structures
• Vegetable cells - helminth egg / interior unorganized and full of vacuoles
• vegetable spirals - helminth larvae / ladder appearance
• Plant hair - helminth larvae / no diagnostic internal structure
• Plant material - helminth egg / odd shaped vacuoles / pseudocilia
• Charcot—leyden crystals - have most significance / paragonimiasis
• Starch cells - protozoan cysts / maltese cross / dark blue to black appearance
• Yeast - protozoan cysts / budding stage
• Fungal elements - protozoan cysts / lack interior structure
• Epithelial cells - amebic trophozoites / single nucleus and distinct cell wall / large chromatin mass