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<article xml:lang="KO" article-type="case-report">

<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Korean J Clin Microbiol</journal-id>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">KJCM</journal-id>
<journal-title>Korean Journal of Clinical Microbiology</journal-title>
<issn pub-type="ppub">1229-0025</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name>The Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology</publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>

<article-meta>

<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5145/KJCM.2012.15.4.151</article-id>

<article-categories>
<subj-group>
<subject>Case Report</subject>
</subj-group>
</article-categories>
<title-group>
<article-title>An Unusual Feature of Malaria: Exflagellated Microgametes of Malarial Parasites in Human Peripheral Blood</article-title>
</title-group>

<contrib-group>

<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Lee</surname>
<given-names>Kyung-Min</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A1"></xref>
</contrib>

<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Ham</surname>
<given-names>Ji Yeon</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A1"></xref>
</contrib>

<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Seo</surname>
<given-names>Bo-Young</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A1"></xref>
</contrib>

<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname>Kim</surname>
<given-names>Yu Kyung</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A1"></xref>
</contrib>

<contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
<name>
<surname>Lee</surname>
<given-names>Won-Kil</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A1"></xref>
</contrib>

</contrib-group>

<aff id="A1">Department of Clinical Pathology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.</aff>

<author-notes>
<corresp>Correspondence: Won-Kil Lee, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, 50, Samdeok-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu 700-721, Korea. (Tel) 82-53-420-5292, (Fax) 82-53-426-3367, <email>leewk@knu.ac.kr</email></corresp>
</author-notes>

<pub-date pub-type="ppub">
<month>12</month>
<year>2012</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>21</day>
<month>12</month>
<year>2012</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>15</volume>
<issue>4</issue>
<fpage>151</fpage>
<lpage>153</lpage>
<history>
<date date-type="received">
<day>02</day>
<month>10</month>
<year>2012</year>
</date>
<date date-type="rev-recd">
<day>22</day>
<month>10</month>
<year>2012</year>
</date>
<date date-type="accepted">
<day>24</day>
<month>10</month>
<year>2012</year>
</date>
</history>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright &#x00A9; 2012 The Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2012</copyright-year>
</permissions>

<abstract>
<p>Exflagellation of the malaria parasite microgametocyte usually occurs in the gut cavity of <italic>Anopheles</italic> mosquitoes following an infective blood meal. Exflagellation is a very rare event in human blood. Due to its rarity, the appearance of this structure in a peripheral blood smear will easily create a diagnostic dilemma. We report a case of malaria with exflagellated microgametes in human blood that was initially mistaken for a double infection of <italic>Plasmodium</italic> and another blood flagellate. The patient was a 29-year-old Parkistani man presenting with fluctuating fever accompanied by chills and fatigue for 4 days. Initial peripheral blood smear examination showed a number of <italic>Plasmodium</italic> ring forms, trophozoites, and gametocytes. Additionally, several filamentous structures resembling blood flagellates were seen. With these features, an initial diagnostic impression of combined infection of malaria and blood flagellate was made. Later, we determined that these structures resembling blood flagellates were exflagellated microgametes of malarial parasite. Therefore, the knowledge that exflagellation may appear in human blood with <italic>Plasmodium</italic> species infection and being more familiar with differentiation of the morphologic features of other species infection can prevent further possible misinterpretation.</p>
</abstract>

<kwd-group>
<kwd>Exflagellation</kwd>
<kwd>Malaria</kwd>
<kwd>Microgamete</kwd>
<kwd>Microgametocyte</kwd>
<kwd>Peripheral blood smear</kwd>
</kwd-group>

</article-meta>
</front>

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</back>

<floats-wrap>

<fig position="float" id="F1">
<label>Fig. 1</label>
<caption>
  <p>Peripheral blood smear examination revealed the presence of rings and gametocytes (Wright stain, &#x00D7;1,000).</p>
</caption>
<graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="kjcm-15-151-g001" alt-version="no"></graphic>
</fig>

<fig position="float" id="F2">
<label>Fig. 2</label>
<caption>
  <p>Exflagellated microgametes in peripheral blood smear (Wright stain, &#x00D7;1,000).</p>
</caption>
<graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="kjcm-15-151-g002" alt-version="no"></graphic>
</fig>

<fig position="float" id="F3">
<label>Fig. 3</label>
<caption>
  <p>Exflagellation of microgametes from microgametocytes in peripheral blood smear (Wright stain, &#x00D7;1,000).</p>
</caption>
<graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="kjcm-15-151-g003" alt-version="no"></graphic>
</fig>

</floats-wrap>

</article>