| • | AKA Darling’s disease, Spelunker’s disease |
| • | organism – Histoplasma capsulatum |
| • | endemic in Ohio and Mississippi river valleys |
| • | oral and rectal mucosa, ulcers (primary inoculation rare) |
| • | tissue phase (37º) – intracellular; budding cells have narrow isthmus of attachment and no capsule (clear halo = cytoplasmic retraction artefact) |
| • | obligate intracellular parasite (phagocytized histiocyte ddx = HIS GIRL P; especially vs. Leishmania) |
| • | stains strongly with PAS (vs. Leishmaniasis with which it may be confused) |
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