sassybiotics🌸

Chaqchan Mosque, Khaplu, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.

The Chaqchan Mosque (The Miraculous Mosque) is a mosque located in the city of Khaplu, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Dating from 1370, the mosque is one of the oldest in the region, and dates from the time when the area’s populace converted en masse from Buddhism to Islam. The mosque’s design is heavily influenced by architecture from the Kashmir Valley, and was likely also built by Kashmiri craftsmen.

Ratti Gali Lake, Neelum Valley, Pakistan.

Donut Granulomas

A fibrin ring  or “donut” granuloma is a small region of inflammation within a tissue with a very distinct appearance. They are commonly found in the liver and bone marrow of patients with Q-fever.

The granuloma is formed from a collection of immune cells, mainly macrophages, that attempt to wall off substances that the body perceives as foreign but is unable to eliminate - things like bacteria and fungi. Q-fever is a disease caused by infection with one such bacterium, Coxiella burnetii. Although uncommon, it may be found in cattle, sheep, goats and other domestic mammals, including cats and dogs. The infection can be transmitted to humans by inhalation of a spore-like small cell variant or from contact with the milk, urine, feces, vaginal mucus, or semen of infected animals.

The granulomas associated with quarantining the Q-fever bacterium, when processed for histology, characteristically contain a ring-like structure consisting of fibrinoid material that often have a centrally located fat vacuole. Hence the donut appearance with the white cell nuclei sprinkles!

Q-fever causes flu-like symptoms that include gastrointestinal symptoms including severe diarrhea. So remember…

…the only difference between a donut and a Q-fever granuloma is that one will make your week whole and the other will make your hole weak!