Archives of the AFIP -- RadioGraphics

Figure Legend | Panel A | Panel B

Figure 3: Asbestos bodies. Panel A Scanning electron microscopy image of asbestos bodies demonstrates rodlike, segmented, or beaded structures, which represent deposition of an iron and protein complex on the asbestos fiber core. Panel B High-power photomicrograph (original magnification, X400; Prussian blue and Papanicolaou stain) of a sputum sample from a patient with a history of occupational exposure to asbestos reveals ferruginous bodies. Asbestos bodies are a subset of ferruginous bodies, the structures formed when iron-protein deposition occurs on fibers, but, because asbestos is by far the most common core material, the ferruginous body is considered the microscopic hallmark of asbestos exposure. The presence of ferruginous bodies in sputum indicates a significant past exposure to asbestos. The beaded or segmented morphology of these iron-coated fibers is characteristic.

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