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[Entamoeba histolytica]

A	B

A, B: Cysts of Entamoeba coli, line drawing (A), wet mount in iodine (B).  Mature cysts typically have 8 nuclei, and measure usually 15 to  25 µm (range 10 to 35 µm).  The cyst in B shows 5 nuclei visible in this focal plane.

C	D

C, D: Cysts of Entamoeba coli, trichrome stain.  The cyst in D is an immature, binucleate form, frequently seen with E. coli, where a large glycogen vacuole pushes the nuclei to opposite sides.  Chromatoid bodies are seen less frequently than in E. histolytica.  When present they are usually splinter like with pointed ends (C) and thus different from the chromatoid bodies of E. histolytica, which have rounded ends.