Curshmann spirals can be a very pretty, but sometimes confounding parasite mimic in sputum, BAL and bronchial lavage specimens. They are spiral-shaped plugs of mucus from obstructed bronchioles, and are seen in patients with asthma and other conditions affecting the airways (e.g. tracheobronchomalacia as seen in this case). Although they can take on a roundworm-like appearance, they can be differentiated by their lack of defined morphologic features such as a cuticle and internal structures. Here is a striking photo from a different case (Papanicolaou stain):
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