Cytology Infection/Inflammation

Cytology

the medical and scientific study of cells

Different types of cytology

ears

skin

fluid

masses

Inflammation

-characterized by the type of inflammatory cells present

-can have infectious or noninfectious cause

Infection

-agents may be visualized in cytologic specimens

-some are morphologically distinct allowing for specific identification

-other agents may require additional diagnostics

Neutrophils that undergo normal aging and cell death may be ....

pyknotic or hypersegmented

Types of inflammation

-suppurative

-purulent

-neutrophilic

Suppurative inflammation

-infectious predominant cause often seen in intracellular bacteria

-noninfectious seen in neoplasia, necrosis, trauma, or in immune medicated disease

Nondegenerate neutrophils

degenerate neutrophils

-nuclear changes seen in reflective of a toxic environment

-associated most with bacterial infection

nuclear changes

-swollen nuclei

-swelling of cytoplasm

-vacuolization

Macrophages in inflammation

-seen in histiocytic, granulomatous, or macrophagic inflammation

-large round cell with oval to indented nuclei and abundant basophilic cytoplasm

How do activated macrophages appear?

vacuolated

samples that are composed predominantly by neutrophils and macrophages are considered...

Mixed or pyogranulomatous

What can cause macrophages inflammation?

chronic inflammation caused by foreign body reactions, fungal infections, infectious caused by filamentous bacteria, and vaccine reactions

Lymphocytic inflammation

small to intermediate sized lymphocytes often mixed with plasma cells

-morphology similar to those seen in hyperplastic lymph node aspirates

When do we see lymphocyte/plasma cell inflammation?

occurs with immune reactions, vaccine reactions, chronic inflammation

Mast cells

round cells containing round nuclei and moderately abundant cytoplasm that contains abundant dark purple granules

what should be considered if numerous or criteria of malignancy mast cells are seen?

MCT

Eosinophils in inflammation

-inflammation process considered to have eosinophilic component if eosinophils comprise great > 10% of the inflammatory cells

-appear similar to those peripheral blood film with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasmic granules

When would we seen an abundant of eosinophils or mast cells?

occurs with hypersensitivity reactions, parasitic migrations, some fungal infections, certain neoplasia, and pythiosis

Cocci

-appear round, in chains, or clusters

-usually gram positive (streptococcus/staphylococcus)

Rods

-seen individually or in chains (E.coli/clostridium)

-filamentous rods grow in long chains (actinomyces)

Spirochetes

normal in oral and GI samples (Helicobacter)

Hyphae forming fungi

-candida, aspergillus

-often present within thick aggregates of macrophages, and can have variable shapes and sizes

Dermatophytes

-microsporum, thrichophyton

-cause scaly hairless skin lesions

-small brick shaped asthrospores

Malasezzia spp

-small budding yeast

-usually associated with dermatitis and otitis externa

Histoplasma Capsulatum (dimorphic fungi)

-round to oval yeast that replicated by narrow based budding

-yeast in the body, hyphae in the environment

-gi signs in dogs, respiratory in cats

-thrive in nitrogen rich organic matter

Considerations to histoplasma capsulatum

-can be found in any tissue but once in peripheral blood, prognosis is poor

-Second most common fungal infection

-MIRA VISTA LAB (reference lab)

-Treated with itraconazole/fluconazole

Blastomyces

-medium sized round yeast that replicates by broad based budding

-thick walled and deeply basophilic

-canine infectious are more common than feline

Considerations to Blastomyces