Hematology Exam 1 Study Guide

What are the 7 formed elements found in the blood?

• RBCs

• Neutrophils

• Basophils

• Eosinophils

• Lymphocytes

• Monocytes

• Platelets (thrombocytes)

What are the three parts that blood separates into when centrifuged?

• Plasma (top)

• Buffy Coat (middle)

• RBCs (bottom)

What elements make up the buffy coat?

white blood cells and platelets

What color tube do you need for a CBC?

purple

What color tube do you need for a serum chemistry?

red

____ - the fluid portion of blood, which still contains clotting factors?

plasma

____ - the fluid portion of blood which remains after the sample is allowed to form a clot

serum

_____ - the most common WBC in all domestic species except ruminants. Single nucleus with three to five lobes. Faintly blue or pink cytoplasm with pink granules in the cytoplasm.

segmented neutrophil

____ - raerly seen in normal blood smears, most commonly seen in equine blood smears. Nucleus is elongated to slightly indented, and the cytoplasm is light purple with few to numerous small, round purple granlues.

basophils

____ - Nucleus is very similar to neutrophils, but segments are less defined. The cytoplasm is faint blue with mutiple red to red-orange granules.

Eosinophils

____ - largest of all WBCs. The cytoplasm is abundant, bluish-gray, foamy, or ground glass in appearance, often containing multiple small to large vacuoles.

Monocytes

_____ - most common WBC seen in ruminants and lab animals. Smallest of the WBCs. The nucleus is round or oval and slightly indented, and the cytoplasm is a small amount of light blue

Lymphocytes

_____ - cells are biconcave disk shapes, non-nucleated, and pink to salmon to red in color

mammalian RBCs

____ - RBCs are oval and nucleated

Fish, bird, reptile, and amphibian RBCs

____ - RBCs are oval and non-nucleated

camelid RBCs

_____ - fragments of the cytoplasm of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. Small, anucleated, and discoid-shaped. Cytoplasm is light blue with multiple, fine, pink to purple granules.

Platelets

What species do these red blood cells belong to?

birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians

What species do these RBCs belong to?

camelids

What type of WBC is this?

Neutrophil

What type of WBC is this?

Eosinophil

What type of WBC is this?

Basophil

What type of WBC is this?

lymphocyte

What type of WBC is this?

Monocyte

What type of cells are these?

platelets

What is the monolayer?

ideal zone for microscopic examination where red blood cells are distributed in a single layer, barely touching or slightly separated

Which species have nucleated RBCs?

• birds

• fish

• reptiles

• amphibians

Which WBC is the most common in domestic species except for in ruminants and rats/mice?

neutrophils

Which WBC is most common in ruminants, rats, and mice?

lymphocytes

Which WBC is the largest?

monocyte

Which WBC can become a plasma cell and produce antibodies?

B lymphocyte

____ - fragments of the cytoplasm of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow

thrombocyte

____ - functions to transport oxygen to tissue and remove CO2 and other waste

erythrocyte

____ - functions in counteracting foreign substances

leukocyte

What is the maximum amount of blood you can collect from small companion animals?

1% of the animal’s total body weight

What is the maximum amount of blood you can collect from birds?

1% of the animal’s total body weight

What is the maximum amount of blood you can collect from reptiles?

0.8% of the animal’s total body weight

What is the maximum amount of blood you can collect from pocket pets?

0.8 of the animal’s total body weight

What is the maximum amount of blood you can collect from large animals?

Animal’s weight (kgs) x 1000g/kg x 0.06 (6% total body weight) x .10 (10% of total blood volume to be collected within a 2-week time period.)

How much blood can you collect from any animal that is not considered healthy (sick or unstable)?

you should only take half of the calculated maximum volume

What is anisocytosis?

variation in RBC size

____ - RBCs are larger than normal

macrocytes

_____ - RBCs are smaller than normal

microcytes

_____ - RBCs are normal size

normacytic

Which RBC index assesses RBC size?

MCV = Mean Corpuscular Volume

High MCV =

macrocytic

Low MCV =

microcytic

Normal MCV =

normocytic

What is poikilocytosis?

Variation is RBC shape

When is poikilocytosis commonly seen?

in healthy goats and ruminant neonates

What is polychromasia?

variation is RBC color (RBCs with faint to obvious blue color)

What is hypochromasia?

RBCs have increased central pallor and less heme (pale in color)

What is hyperchromasia?

RBCs have decreased central pallor with “more” heme (darker in color)

Which RBC index evaluates hemoglobin concentration?

MCHC = Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration

Low MCHC =

hypo chromic

High MCHC =

hyperchromic

Normal MCHC =

normochromic

Can we ever have a cell that is truly hyper chromic?

No, there is a limit for how much heme an RBC can have; they can’t be over-pigmented. It is simply a mistake in over-staining

What is the difference between rouleaux and agglutination?

Rouleaux = arrangement of RBCs in columns or stacks like coins.

Agglutination = antibody coats the RBC surface, causing clumping

Where is rouleaux most commonly seen?

in horses

What are some causes of rouleaux?

• delay between time of collection and making the blood smear

• refrigeration

• inflammation

What test can you perform to differentiate between rouleaux and agglutination?

add a drop of saline to the slide, rouleaux will disperse and agglutination will remain clumped

Which RBC inclusions stain well with diff quik?

• Basophilic stippling

• Howell-Jolly bodies

Which RBC inclusions stain well only with New Methylene Blue?

• Heinz bodies

• Reticulocytes

Why might RBCs be macrocytic and polychromic on a blood smear?

If the RBCs are immature (Reticulocytes)

Why might RBCs be microcytic?

If the patient is suffering from autoimmune diseases or splenic disorders

What is an RBC shape that is typically described as microcytic and hyperchomic?

spherocytes

Why might poikilocytosis be present on a blood smear?

The most common form of poikilocytosis is echinocytes. They are an artifact of the preparation of the blood film due to the slow drying of the blood

The most commonly seen shape variation among RBCs are what?

echinocytes

What might be the reason for mammalian RBCs to be nucleated?

Nucleated RBCs appear when they are prematurely released from the bone marrow. This can be caued by extreme demand, such as anemia

What is significant about Howell-jolly bodies?

the nucleus is single, round, and randomly located within the cell

What is significant about heinz bodies?

Nucleus is a small, round to irregular, refractile denatured hemoglobin that can be single or multiple within the cell or on the surface.

Which cell type is associated with oxidative damage?

Heinz bodies

Heinz bodies are commonly seen where?

in healthy cats

When might you expect to see basophilic stippling?

With heavy metal toxicity, particularly lead poisoning

What does a reticulocyte look like when stained with diff quik?

cells will stain bluish with diff quik but the clumps of dark staining material will not be visible

What does a reticulocyte look like when stained with New Methylene Blue?

Clumps of dark staining material can be seen in the RBC cytoplasm

____ - general term for any thin or flattened RBC

leptocyte

What causes leptocytes to be present on a blood smear?

leptocytes are usually seen with anemia

____ - aka target cells - contains a thicker darker staining center surrounded by a lighter staining area and a darker periphery

codocytes

_____ - bar cells - darker staining central area which extends across the cell with a pale are on either side

Knizocytes

_____ - Elongated, often curved, central pale area often resembling a mouth or smiley face

stomatocytes

____ - crenated RBCs (RBCs that have shrunk)

echinocytes

_____ - aka burr cells

acanthocytes

What is the primary difference between echinocytes and acanthocytes?

Echinocytes = characterized by blunt projections evenly distributed around the periphery of the cell

Acanthocytes = multiple irregularly spaced, rounded or club-like projections over the entire surface of the RBC

Acanthocytes are associated/seen with what?

• liver and kidney diseases and rattlesnake bites in dogs

• after exercise in horses

• lymphosarcoma in dogs

____ - irregular RBC fragment due to mechanical damage to the cell membrane

schistocyte

_____ - aka helmet cell

Keratocyte

_____ - teardrop shaped RBC. Due to failure of the normal RBC to resume its shape after passage through the capillaries

Dacryocyte

____ - sickle cell

Drepanocyte

What cell arrangement is this?

Rouleaux

What cell arrangement is this?

Agglutination

This is an example of what kind of cell abnormality?

anisocytosis

What type of cell abnormality is this?

Hypochromic

What type of cell abnormality is this?

Poikilocytosis

What type of cell is this?

Echinocytes

What type of cell is this?

Acanthocyte

What type of cell?

Codocyte (target cell)

What type of cell?

Knizocytes (bar cells)

What type of cell?

Stomatocytes

What type of cell?

Howell-Jolly bodies (diff quik stain)