Mucus under microscope

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fetidness
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2021 6:25 pm

Mucus under microscope

#1 Post by fetidness » Sat Oct 09, 2021 6:28 pm

Hello. I am very worried about the mucus coming from my throat. What you see is thousands of bacteria?

https://youtu.be/eEhWMM2J2KY

DonSchaeffer
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Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:06 am
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Re: Mucus under microscope

#2 Post by DonSchaeffer » Sat Oct 09, 2021 10:01 pm

I don't see bacteria at all. Those big pieces look like fat cells or body tissue cells to me.

fetidness
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Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2021 6:25 pm

Re: Mucus under microscope

#3 Post by fetidness » Sun Oct 10, 2021 5:17 am

Thanks for the reply. but those little dots that move quickly inside the "bubbles"? aren't bacteria? I record now with 1000x to see exactly what i want to say.

https://youtu.be/KO3LQ_hymlI

Harold
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Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Re: Mucus under microscope

#4 Post by Harold » Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:38 pm

I won't even take a guess at what that is in your sputum. You could, I suppose, put some streaks on a media plate and see what grows out. That said, I was a Registered Respiratory Practitioner for nearly 30 years, so I've see more snot than than you can imagine. If that's what a smear of my stuff looked like, I'd check with my doc. Seriously

Harold
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Re: Mucus under microscope

#5 Post by Harold » Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:48 pm

Harold wrote:
Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:38 pm
I won't even take a guess at what that is in your sputum, if that is indeed mucoid material that you coughed up as a solid slug and not saliva. But... I was a Registered Respiratory Practitioner for nearly 30 years, and I've seen and dealt with more snot that you can imagine. The first thought was if you've been bringing up hockers regularly for a while, you might want to check with your doctor. Just a thought...

Harold
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Re: Mucus under microscope

#6 Post by Harold » Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:49 pm

I won't even take a guess at what that is in your sputum, if that is indeed mucoid material that you coughed up as a solid slug and not saliva. But... I was a Registered Respiratory Practitioner for nearly 30 years, and I've seen and dealt with more snot that you can imagine. The first thought was if you've been bringing up hockers regularly for a while, you might want to check with your doctor. Just a thought...

Harold
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Re: Mucus under microscope

#7 Post by Harold » Fri Oct 15, 2021 11:53 pm

Sorry for the multiple posts. Not sure how that happened.

fetidness
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Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2021 6:25 pm

Re: Mucus under microscope

#8 Post by fetidness » Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:28 am

Thanks for your reply. Yes, this is sputum. You never saw something like that?

Hobbyst46
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Re: Mucus under microscope

#9 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sun Oct 24, 2021 1:23 pm

Folks, forum rules forbid asking for personal medical advice as well as giving one. No reason to frighten or alternatively soothe anyone here.

LouiseScot
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Location: Scotland

Re: Mucus under microscope

#10 Post by LouiseScot » Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:21 pm

Also, don't use a microscope and/or Google to try and diagnose yourself - consult medical professionals!
On another note, cultured bacteria should be carefully smeared and flame fixed on a slide. Then use Gram's stain to colour code gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Details of how to do that probably can be found on Google!

Louise
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eward1897
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Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:49 am

Re: Mucus under microscope

#11 Post by eward1897 » Tue Nov 02, 2021 2:54 am

I endorse the no medical advice policy, as have all the other respondents.

But based on occasionally examining my own snot I think the "bubbles" you think are full of "bacteria" are actually white blood cells packed with granules. The most common white cells are called neutrophils. They are full of granules used to fight bacteria and look much like what you photographed.

Clear mucous or snot has only a few white blood cells and yellow snot has a lot. Their presence doesn't tell whether or not you are sick. And your throat is always full of millions of bacteria all the time. Bacteria are likely in your photo but very hard to see clearly without special techniques and lots of practice.

Amateurs looking at medical specimens with microscopes doesn't usually generate any useful diagnostic information. It can be fun to look at your cheek cells, blood and body fluids, but for entertainment only.

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