View source for Maurer's dots and clefts description

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|colspan="1" style = "font-size:100%; color:black; background: FFFAFA"|<span style="color:navy>'''What are Maurer's dots and clefts?'''</span>

These are blue-grey dots or linear structures seen at the late trophozoites of ''P.falciparum''. These structures lie within the erythrocyte cytoplasm and are the result of modification of the red cell by the parasite. The structures differ from the dots seen in ethrocytes infected by ''P.vivax''  or  ''P.ovale''  since they are few in number (you could imagine being able to count them). They are not seen in early trophozoites so define the late trophozoite stage.  
 


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File:Maurer1.jpg|link={{filepath:Maurer1.jpg}}
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<span style="font-size:80%">The most frequent form - two early trophozoites of ''P.falciparum'' in a single erythrocyte</span>
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<span style="color:navy>'''Species significance'''</span>  

Maurer's dots and clefts are restricted to ''P.falciparum'' and can be distinguished from Schüffner's dots of ''P.vivax'' or the James' dots of ''P.ovale'' by their blue-grey colour, higher density and sometimes elongated (clefted) shape. 
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<span style="color:navy>'''Compare with:'''</span>

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File:Maurer2.jpg|A. Maurer|link={{filepath:Maurer2.jpg}}
File:Schuffner1.jpg|B. Schüffner|link={{filepath:Schuffner1.jpg}}
File:James1.jpg|C. James|link={{filepath:James1.jpg}}
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<span style="font-size:80%">Maurer's dots and clefts in a late trophozoite of ''P.falciparum'' with two tropozoites and a mixture of dots and clefts (A). These are more dense and blue grey than the more numerous, softer, amd red/purple coloured Schüffner's dots seen in ''P.vivax'' (B) and James' dots in ''P.ovale'' (C)</span>