Question

48-years old man with a 2 weeks' history of headache, irritability and clouding of conciousness had a unilocular cystic mass with central necrosis on brain MRI. An excisional biopsy is done with a provisional diagnosis of brain tumor. Under microscopic examination, there is a fragmanted and necrotic cystic mass within the glial tissue, and the cyst membrane is laminated and scolexes are seen inside the cyst. Which of the following microorganism is the most probable causative agent of this mass?

a) Herpes simplex virus b) Cytomegalovirus

c) E.granulosus

d) Toxoplasma gondii e) E.histolytica

Answer 1

It's answer is (C) - Echinococcus granulosus

As the microscopic features shows that there is a cystic mass with scolexes inside the cell. Scolex is a feature of tapeworms and Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic tapeworm.

And the person is suffering from cerebral hydatid disease which is caused by E . Granulosus.

Whereas toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasitic organism which have bradyzoites in the cyst and do not possess scolexes.

E. Histolytica is a amoebic parasitic organism.

Herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus are viruses which do not have cystic stage in their life cycle.

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