Detached Ciliary Tufts Mistaken for Peritoneal Parasites: A Warning

Detached ciliary tufts of columnar epithelial cells from the female genital tract may be mistakenly identified as protozoa when examined in wet mounts of fluid specimens in the laboratory because of their appearance and motility, although they are generally identified correctly in fixed specimens pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reviews of infectious diseases 1988-09, Vol.10 (5), p.1044-1047
Main Authors: Kuritzkes, Daniel R., Mitchell Rein, Stephanie Horowitz, Gerard Droege, Mary Ann Waldron, Bell, Debra A., Arlan F. Fuller, Jr, Leonard L. Ellman, Dickersin, G. Richard, Swartz, Morton N., Wolfson, John S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Ascitic Fluid
Biological and medical sciences
Cilia
Cilia - ultrastructure
Clinical Notes
Diagnostic Errors
Epithelial Cells
Female
Genital Diseases, Female - diagnosis
Genitalia, Female - cytology
Gynecology
Humans
Infectious diseases
Injuries of the abdomen. Foreign bodies of the digestive system
Leukocytes
Medical sciences
Parasites
Protozoa
Protozoan Infections - diagnosis
Secretion
Specimens
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
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Summary:Detached ciliary tufts of columnar epithelial cells from the female genital tract may be mistakenly identified as protozoa when examined in wet mounts of fluid specimens in the laboratory because of their appearance and motility, although they are generally identified correctly in fixed specimens prepared for cytologic examination. A case of such mistaken identity in specimens from a gynecologic patient was documented, and the literature on ciliary tufts was reviewed. Infectious disease and gynecology consultants should be alert to the potential confusion arising from the presence of ciliary tufts in body fluids.
ISSN:0162-0886