Photo credit to Pathology Online – no peeking! 🙂

Question: What diagnosis does this blood film point towards?

Answer: Malaria! This blood film shows infection (> 20% parasitemia) with one of the most commons species of malaria that infects humans – Plasmodium falciparum. Parasited red blood cells are demonstrated above.

When looking at blood films, there are various stages seen of P. falciparum that can be seen including rings, trophozoites, schizonts, and gametocytes. Check out this figure/paper if you’re interested in learning more about the life cycle: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Life-cycle-of-Plasmodium-falciparum-Schematic-illustration-of-the-life-cycle-of-P_fig7_229083165