The Morchella esculenta of the digestive tract.

Abstract

Sometimes during the histological or histopathological analysis of human samples, it is possible to identify normal or pathological structures that are similar to human expression, organs, or even famous artworks. In this communication, we show a low-magnification image of a rectum mucosa biopsy stained with GAP-43, which was described as a specific axonal marker. The rectum conserves the main layers of the digestive tract (mucosa, submucosa, muscular propria, and the serosa), and it is a frequent material in pathology. In this unusual case, it is possible to observe the rectum mucosa and a highly innervated submucosa. Interestingly, the manner in which the biopsy was taken and the changes following tissue processing conferred to this sample a peculiar morphology that clearly resembles the mushroom called Morchella esculenta. The curveted and rounded morphology of the mucosa resembles the mushroom cap, the crypts of Lieberkuhn resemble the characteristic pits of the mushroom surface, and remaining connective tissue resembles the mushroom stem (Figure 1). 558264 IJSXXX10.1177/1066896914558264International Journal of Surgical PathologyCarriel et al research-article2014