Figure 1

Diagnosis of Plasmodium malariae infection and presence of Howell-Jolly bodies. Thick (A) and thin (B) smear at admission (original magnification ×1000, Giemsa –R staining). In red squares, a sample of P. malariae rings showing morphological similarities between ring nuclei and Howell-Jolly bodies. The absence of cytoplasm is key for the differential diagnosis. A. Two leukocyte nuclei, the rosette-like aspect (vertical arrow) of the schizont (Plasmodium malariae), and several Howell-Jolly bodies (red arrows). B. Small size of the erythrocyte hosting a P. malariae gametocyte (vertical arrow) and unifected red blood cells showing microcytosis, anisochromasia, and target aspect.