Leishmania donovani

Leishmania donovani. Amastigotes in spleen impression smear (Giemsa's stain, oil immersion). Many of the amastigotes (often referred to as Leishman-Donovan bodies) in this infected macrophage clearly show the spherical nucleus and bar-shaped kinetoplast. These amastigote features distinguish these organisms from other protozoan or fungal parasites. Amastigotes of the cutaneous and mucocutaneous forms of leishmaniasis are similar in morphology but occur in macrophages in the skin and subcutaneous tissues.