Blood Cells & Morphology

Red Blood Cell

Platelet

Neutrophil

Lymphocyte

Monocyte

Feline Eosinophil

• pink

• rod shaped granules

Canine Eosinophil

• pink

• round granules

Equine Eosinophil

• looks like a raspberry

Feline Basophil

• lavender

• oval shaped granules

Canine Basophil

• ribbon shaped nucleus

Equine Basophil

• dark colored granules

Nuclear Hypersegmentation

• nuclei with 5 or more lobes

• can be due to aging neutrophils

• common in poodles w macrocytosis

Dohle Body

Reactive Lymphocyte

• increased basophilia in cytoplasm

• more abundant cytoplasm than normal

• kidney bean shaped nucleus

• caused by antigenic stimulation

  • vaccines or infection

Blast Cell

Toxic Granulation

Pelger-Huet Anomaly

• nuclear hyposegmentation

• nuclear chromatin appears unsegmented

• congenital defect (Aussie Shepherds)

Smudge Cells

• leukocytes that have ruptured

• not significant unless in large numbers

  • associated with leukemia

• artifact when making blood smear

Pyknosis

• condensing of nucleus as cell dies

Karyorrhexis

• fragmentation of nucleus after cell death

Karyolysis

• degeneration of nucleus by dissolution of nuclear membrane

Rouleaux

• stacking of RBC

• only when found right behind feathered edge

  • common to see on butt end

• can be seen in normal horses or cat & pigs

  • sticky RBC’s

• seen w increased fibrinogen & globulin concentrations

Autoagglutination

• occurs in immune mediated disorders

  • body attacks itself

• cells coat with antibodies & stick together

• differentiate from rouleaux with drop of saline

  • rouleaux will disperse

Anisocytosis

• variation in size of RBC’s

• macrocytes, microcytes, or both

• common in normal bovine blood

Polychromasia

• RBC’s with blueish tint

• organelles remain in cytoplasm

• indicate young RBC’s

• appear as reticulocytes when stained with NMB

Hypochromasia

• RBC’s with decreased color

• periphery appears darker, gradually lose color in central region

• vary pale central region

• insufficient hemoglobin in cell

  • iron deficiency

Hyperchromatophilic

• RBC’s that stain darker than normal

• usually microcytes or spherocytes

Poikilocytes

• abnormally shaped RBC’s

• does not suggest specific dx or cause for change

• term used only when abnormalities cannot be described by another term

Schistocytes

• RBC fragment

• shearing of RBC via IV trauma

• disseminated introvascular coagulopathy - DIC

  • RBC broken by fibrin strands & iron deficiency

Acanthocytes

• hemangiosarcoma

• irregular spike-like projections

  • unevenly distributed

  • variable length & diameter

Echinocytes

• crenated cells

• numerous short, evenly spaced surface projections

  • uniform size & shape

• can be due to slow drying/prolonged storage

• seen with renal dz & lymphosarcoma in dogs

Drepanocytes

• sickle cells

• seen in deer & angora goats

Heterophils

• normal in avian & reptiles

• equivalent of neutrophil

Keratocytes

• helmet cells, blister cells

• appear to contain vacuole attached to side of cell

• associated with hepatic disease, neoplasia, IV trauma

Spherocytes

• dark staining RBC’s with reduced or no central pallor

• partial phagocytosis of cell

  • response to antibodies

• suggest immune-mediated destruction of RBC

• hard to detect in species other than canine

Target Cell

• leptocyte with central area of pigment

• surrounded by clear area & ring of peripheral cytoplasm

• resemble target/bullseye

• associated with anemia, liver dz, inherited disorders

Stomatocytes

• transverse fold across center of cell

• clear slit-like pale region in center

• is an artifact if slit is perpendicular to feathered edge

Torocytes

• created by force of blood going through small vessels

• area of central pallor

Elliptocytes

• ovalcytes

• normal in camelids & nonmammals

• associated with leukemia, hepatic dz, etc.

Eccentrocytes

• appear to have hemoglobin pushed to one side

• seen in patients with diabetes, neoplasia, babesia

• can be due to toxicities

Dacrocytes

• tear drop shaped RBC

• if tails all face the same way = artifact

Basophilic Stippling

• lead poisoning

• small, dark blue bodies

• from residual RNA

• common in immature ruminant RBC’s

• can be seen in anemic cats

Howell-Jolly Bodies

• basophilic nuclear remnants in young RBC

  • response to anemia

• removed via phagocytosis when passing through spleen

• can be seen after removal of spleen

Heinz Body

• round blue structures

  • denatured hemoglobin

• normal in cats in 5% of RBC

• increased # indicate diabetes, lymphosarcoma, etc.

Nucleated RBC’s

• immature cells in anemia

  • early release of RBC

• can be seen in nonanemic animals

• normal in nonmammals

Parabasal Cell

• estrus

Intermediate Cell

• proestrus

Hyaline Cast

RBC Cast

WBC Cast

Fatty Cast

Mast Cell

Superficial Cell

• estrus

Squamous Cell

Renal Transitional Epithelial

Struvite Crystal

• alkaline urine

• triple phosphate

Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate

• antifreeze ingestion

Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate

Bilirubin Crystal

Calcium Carbonate Crystals

• equine & rabbits

Fine Granular Cast

Coarse Granular Cast

Waxy Cast

• indicates renal failure

Uric Acid

Mesothelial Cells

• line body cavities

Macrophages

Suppurative Inflammation

Pyogranulatomous Inflammation

Eosinophilic Inflammation