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General and Systemic Histopathology, C601&C602
     
    Slide 1: Cryptococcal Pneumonia, a higher power view.
     
     
    This is a picture of the tissue as it appears on your slide.  See if you can orient it as it appears here and then locate the alveolar lung tissue with central area of inflammatory infiltrate.  You might even be able to spot some of the giant cells without any magnification.  When you put the slide on the stage of your scope, start with the lowest power first, review the entire slide and then go progressively to the higher levels of magnification.

    See this slide with the virtual microscope.

    This is a second picture form the same slide. As you can see the term "giant cell" is aptly applied. The cryptococcal organisms are quite evident in one of the smaller giant cells. As you may recall, the organisms posses a large capsule so they tend to stand out in the cytoplasm of the giant cells. The giant cells are unique participants in our response to this type of  injury. They are commonly seen in association with agents the body cannot easily rid itself of. We will see them again in the inflammatory response to tuberculosis and foreign material that has been injected or left behind in the body. Can you think of situations in which foreign material might find its way into the body (I mean external matter, not an infectious agent)? Here are a few.


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