Monserrat and Africa: Ascari 



#61 



The histological diagnosis of the tissues confirmed the above 

 anatomical findings. 



Location and identification of the eggs.— The eggs were acci 

 dentally discovered in one of the blocks from the liver tissue 

 a rounded, fairly well circumscribed mass was found around i 

 portal area, about 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter. The bile duct 

 of this portal area was greatly dilated; the basement membrane 

 was moderately infiltrated with rounded cells and polymorph 

 nuclear leucocytes, and the connective tissue around it w 

 considerably increased in amount showing at the same fciit. 

 evidence of endothelial cells, rounded cells, and polymorphonu- 

 clear infiltration. There were also apparently some accessory 

 bile ducts and some blood vessels. This portal area seemed to 

 be fused with the mass previously mentioned. The mass 

 contained numerous eggs in various stages of segmentation. 

 In shape, size, structure, and general appearance, the eggs in 

 question were unmistakably those of Ascaris lumbricoides. 

 They were elliptical, round or oval bodies with a thick trans- 

 parent cell wall. The extra albuminous coat was invariably 

 absent. The vitelline membrane was fairly visible in many 

 of the ova. They measured on the average from 45 to 65 // 

 in length and from 45 to 50 n in width. 



The ovarian cells were in various stages of segmentation. 

 One-cell, two-cell, four-cell, and eight-cell stages were found. 

 In some the yolk granules were fairly visible around the seg- 

 menting ovarian cells. These eggs lay in a matrix composed 

 of connective tissue showing evidences of necrosis, especially 

 around the eggs. In the meshes of this connective tissue there 

 were also numerous endothelial cells which in certain places 

 were fused together, forming beautiful giant cells. Some of 

 these collected around the ova trying to engulf them. Centrally, 

 between the eggs, there were also in some places large deposits 

 of fibrin and very few polymorphonuclear leucocytes. The 

 peripheral portion of the mass was almost entirely composed of 

 fairly well preserved connective-tissue cells, numerous polymor- 

 phonuclear leucocytes and endothelial cells, some eosinophils 

 and round cells, and a few fibroblasts. 



The liver cells in the rest of the liver tissue showed evidence 

 of marked fatty degeneration. The connective tissue of the 

 other portal areas was also increased in amount, and infiltrated 

 with round and polymorphonuclear cells. 



