PROMASTIGOTE CAPTURED ON A
MICROVIDEO
There are 21 species of Leishmania that can cause different diseases
in humans.
These pathogens have 2 morphological states, named; Promastigotes
and Amastigotes.
The amastigotes hide, from the immune system, inside macrophages.
Then using the chemical resources, inside the macrophages, makes
duplicates of itself.
Research scientist usually use electron microscopes to study them,
since they are difficult, but not impossible, to see in
regular optical microscopes.
I was lucky to have recorded a microvideo that shows a progastigote
swimming in a live-blood slide I made of my blood. I do not know for
sure that it is a leishmania species, nor am I sure that it is not a
different pathogen than leishmania.
Here are two micrographs, from electron microscopes, not taken by
me, but included here for reference.
PROMASTIGOTE

AMASTIGOTE

Bellow, are 2 images I captured from the microvideo
I recorded.
However, Leishmania is not the only pathogen that has
promastigotes. Some Micoplasma species also have promastigotes.
But due to what I believe to be amastigotes infected macrophages
(from other micrographs), it is probably Leishmania.


CLICK ON THE ICON BELLOW TO PLAY THE VIDEO
Notice that the promastigote is swimming from the upper right area
downward, then gets stock between the macrophage and an RBC for a
few seconds, then the macrophage backs up a little and the
promastigote continues his swim.
NOTE: When you select the icon bellow, your browser should ask you
if you would like to play the video, or save it in your computer. If
you do not have a video application that can play mp4 format, then
your browser will not be able to call that application in order to
play the video.
It is difficult to capture, in a micrograph, of stained blood, a
promastigote. But not impossible. Here are some samples:



REFERENCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leishmania
Paniker's Textbook of MEDICAL
PARASITOLOGY (8th Edition)
MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY A Self-Instructional Text (7th Edition)
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY made ridiculously
simple. (6th Edition)
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