Tzank smear in a case of pemphigus vulgaris shows

Tzanck smear is a very simple and rapid technique. For viral infections, samples should be taken from a fresh vesicle.The vesicle should be unroofed or the crust removed, and the base scraped with a scalpel or the edge of a spatula. The material is transferred to a glass slide.In the case of blistering disorders, the intact roof of a blister is opened along one side, folded back and the floor gently scraped. The material thus obtained is smeared onto a microscopic slide, allowed to air dry, and stained with Giemsa stain. Pemphigus vulgaris: It reveals multiple acantholytic cells (Tzanck cells). A typical Tzanck cell is a large round keratinocyte with a hyperophic nucleus, hazy or absent nucleoli, and abundant basophilic cytoplasm. The basophilic staining is deeper peripherally on the cell membrane ("mourning edged" cells) due to the cytoplasm's tendency to get condensed at the periphery, leading to a perinuclear halo. Herpes simplex, varicella, herpes zoster: multinucleated syncytial giant cells contain multiple nuclei Molluscum contagiosum: basophilic intracytoplasmic molluscum bodies (Henderson-Patterson bodies), the largest known inclusion bodies (30-35 m). Vaccinia, orf, milker's nodules and variola:[ eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion called a "Guarnieri body", Leishmaniasis:Cytology is very useful in detecting Leishman-Donovan (LD) bodies in early, untreated patients of leishmaniasis. LD bodies appear as light-blue, ellipsoid bodies IADVL Textbook of dermatology page 1099