Ciliated cell remnants in peritoneal dialysis fluid

Ciliocytophthoria are anucleate remnants of ciliated epithelial cells derived from the lower respiratory tract and female reproductive tract. We report a case of ciliocytophthoria found in the effluent dialysis fluid of a young woman undergoing long-term ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Inability to identify these "organisms" initially led to an extensive search for parasitic contamination or infection of the peritoneum. After identifying these "organisms" as ciliocytophthoria, a prospective study showed that ciliated cell remnants occur frequently in the effluent dialysate of young women, but not in older women or men. With increasing use of peritoneal dialysis, laboratory personnel can expect to see ciliocytophthoria in peritoneal dialysate effluent and should recognize them as benign, normal findings in young women.