ABSTRACT
Unusual morphology of aberrant forms of bacteria, presented with grotesque-giant form, 15 m 3 m, with central emptiness and fusiform ends was observed in urine Gram stain from a 26-year-old woman who was admitted with the symptoms of acute urinary tract infection. On wet smear, these bacilli were markedly swollen, yeast-like organisms. In addition to normal shaped bacilli, various shapes of another aberrant bacteria, such as long bacilli, filamentous form, filamentous form with central bulge, and bipolar staining with central emptiness were also observed in the same specimen. The morphologic characteristics of these unusual aberrant bacilli were more distinct on Papanicolaou stain than on Gram stain. In Korea, where antimicrobial agents are overused and disused, the frequency of observing the aberrant bacteria would be much higher than cases reported. Here we report unusual morphology of aberrant forms of Escherichia coli with the emphasis on awaring of the potential appearance of such bacilli in clinical specimen and avoiding confusion with fungi and other naturally filamentous organisms.