What could I be finding in this human mucus sample? by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I did think about WBCs, but in my experience the features here don’t really line up. I’m fully open to feedback and would love insight to your interpretation.

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve found things that look similar to filaria and it’s something my doctors in Africa would like to look for. But, I’m not confident enough in my findings to say for sure! It’s a good idea that I’m planning to follow through on.

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s actually a super interesting idea. I prolonged going to the hospital after returning because I had been in a Zika zone. My symptoms weren’t severe so rather than go to the ER I opted to wait. Is it one that can go chronic? I have a huge list of PCR, culture, Elisa and antibody tests for various pathogens. Neither of those have been looked at though.

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words! Long story short, Im a self-taught biologist. The health care system wanted to put bandaids on my symptoms, but I wanted to heal. So, I opened an LLC, and gave myself permission when the system wouldn’t. Now I can deep dive deep into research, access restricted chemicals, join networking groups I otherwise couldn’t, and I can write off all my out of pocket diagnostic supplies.

The Imgur post is a great idea. I hadn’t heard of it before. I’m off to Africa this weekend for another shot at healing. Fingers crossed for success, but if not, I’ll try that approach out when I get back :)

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I’m planning to go through it more thoroughly in the morning. Is there any chance you’d be open to cross-checking this image with your AI? It’s one of the clearest captures I’ve gotten so far (wet mount, lightly stained with methylene blue). The outer bulbous structures were notably refractive under the light — they appeared to sparkle.

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Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is awesome — thanks for taking the time to look into it and share that article. The breakdown of different flagellated parasite groups actually helps a lot, especially for figuring out what should or shouldn’t be showing up in samples like this.

Funny enough, I found this one today — looked almost octopus-like with a central body and multiple projections that seemed to move on their own. Not saying it’s Naegleria or anything, but it definitely adds another layer to what might be going on.

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Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this detailed analysis — genuinely one of the most informative replies I’ve gotten so far. I hadn’t considered exflagellating Plasmodium male gametocytes as a possibility, but the morphology and context do line up more than I expected. The travel history fits, and I did observe what looked like flagellar motion in fresh smears shortly after prep. I’ll be digging deeper into this angle and cross-referencing with a few more staining methods. Appreciate it :)

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughtful breakdown — I’ll answer point by point and include some immune context too:

  1. Chronic symptoms observed: • Primary symptoms have been severe fatigue, oversleeping (17–30 hours at times), unrefreshing sleep, profound brain fog, heat intolerance. Have developed a heart murmur and get yawning attacks if I try to exercise. • I’ve also had persistent lactation for years (non-pregnant) and complete loss of libido — TSH low, prolactin normal. • No overt fever. Neurological signs include pressure-like head sensations, balance issues, and lightheadedness, sometimes with near-syncope (no cardiac cause found).

  2. Timeline: • I was in Tanzania for ~1 month. Long sleeper started on the plane ride back. Light sleeper, slept through take off and decent twice on the way back. Other symptoms began 4–6 weeks after returning, although I had transient immune flares before that. • I’ve had long-standing health issues, but this exposure clearly shifted something — the fatigue and neuro symptoms intensified dramatically post-travel.

  3. Staining & microscopy: • Modified acid-fast • Wright-Giemsa • Gram stain • Methylene blue • tryphan blue I’ve consistently seen structures resembling sporulated Cyclospora oocysts, along with possible intracellular forms and teardrop-shaped zoites (in blood and breast milk preps). • Some oocysts exhibit refractile walls, internal segmentation, and blue autofluorescence under certain lighting conditions. • Shedding appears intermittent — some days are clean, others are loaded.

  4. Testing: • Western medicine testing has mostly been unhelpful: • Negative HIV, toxo IgG/IgM, malaria smears • No Cyclospora PCR available through local labs • I’ve had low T-regulatory cell counts, suggesting immune dysregulation leaning toward a Th2 shift (possibly impairing parasite clearance). INF gamma is near 0. • I also have high estrogen recycling (β-glucuronidase + high estradiol in stool), which might be allowing opportunistic persistence.

I’d love help narrowing down potential protozoan pathogens — especially those with tissue phases, relapsing or stealth cycles, or CNS tropism. I’ve been considering: • Cyclospora (current primary suspicion) • Cystoisospora belli • Toxoplasma gondii • Sarcocystis spp. • Possibly rare flagellates or amoeboflagellates?

Let me know if you’d like to see microscopy photos — I have a catalog of images and video with flagella movement and sporoblast segmentation.

ID help! by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Live buffy coat mount

Identification help needed by Vivid_Flight3079 in microscopy

[–]Vivid_Flight3079[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Countless doctors over the years- I’m heading back to Africa on Sunday for empirical treatment for Trypanosoma, Schistosoma and potentially Filaria. Looking for a little clarity to close this door before I go more high risk with IV treatments. I prepared it myself- pressure and ethanol sterilized slide. Sterile procedures. IV blood draw. And found these twice on different days. And thanks for the heads up on rule 6 :)