Abnormal Red Blood Cells Flashcards
What are the 5 things we evaluate RBCs to determine normal from abnormal?
Arrangement Size Color Shape Inclusions/Parasites
What do normal RBCs look like in a cat?
They have more central pallor
Which species have natural elliptical RBCs?
Camelids
What does the RBC of birds and reptiles naturally have?
They have nucleated red blood cells
Rouleaux formation
Stacking of erythrocytes
What species is Rouleaux formation normal?
Horses
Agglutination
Cells are coated with antibodies, resulting in bridges and clumps
What cell arrangement is never normal?
Agglutination
What are the causes of agglutination?
Immune disorders
Transfusion with the wrong blood type
Neonatal Isoerythrolysis
How do you tell the difference between Rouleaux and Agglutination?
With one drop of saline, the Rouleaux will disperse
-cytic
Size
-chromic
Color
Anisocytosis
Variation in red blood cell size
Macrocytes
Large cells
often reticulocytes
Microcytes
Decreased cell size
Seen in iron deficiency
Spherocytes
What species is Anisocytosis normal?
Cattle
Normochromic
Normal cell color
Polychromasia
Varying color
increased bluish tint
Hypochromasia
Decreased color
Insufficient hemoglobin
Have a very pale central region
Iron deficiency
Is the term Hyperchromic used commonly to describe darker stained cells?
No. Oversaturation cannot occur because the cell has a fixed capacity for hemoglobin
What are the cells called instead of hyperchromic?
Spherocytes
What are Spherocytes?
They have lost the biconcave disk shape
Perfectly round
Stain intensely because they are not flat anymore
Poikilocytosis
Abnormally shaped blood cells
What are the five categories of morphological changes?
Regenerative responses Immune-mediated damage Oxidative injury Membrane/metabolic disorder Mechanical fragmentation
What morphological changes are seen in Immune-mediated damage?
Spherocytes
Agglutination
Ghost Cells
Ghost Cells
remnant cell membranes
Due to intravascular lysis
Oxidative Injury
Areas of red blood cells with denatured hemoglobin
What does denatured hemoglobin mean?
The hemoglobin is pushed aside
What causes an oxidative injury?
Ingestion of garlic and onions in dogs
Ingestion of Tylenol in cats
If an oxidative injury has occurred, what are the cells unable to carry?
Oxygen
What changes are seen in the cells with an oxidative injury?
Heinz bodies
Eccentrocytes
Heinz bodies
Small round projection, sometimes blue, dependent on the stain
What are the small round projections on Heinze bodies?
Denatured hemoglobin
What do increased amounts of Heinz bodies indicate?
Lymphosarcoma
Hyperthyroidism
Diabetes mellitus
Eccentrocytes
Hemoglobin gets pushed over to one side
What do increased amounts of Eccentrocytes indicate?
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Neoplasia
Babesia canis
Metabolic/ Membrane Disorders:
Echinocytes
Burr cells
Renal disease
multiple, small, delicate, regular-shaped spines distributed evenly
Burr Cells
Projections similar to Echinocytes but oval to elongated
How do you tell the difference between Echinocytes and crenation?
Crenation is a drying artifact and happens in vitro
Echinocytes occurs because of renal disease ( in vivo)
Metabolic/ Membrane Disorders: Acanthocytes
Multiple, large, irregular shaped, blunt, finger-like projections
Spur cells
Liver disease
Hemangiosarcoma
Metabolic/ Membrane Disorders: Keratocytes
Blister, bite, Helmet cells
Area of cell membrane damage
Two fairly uniform hornlike projections
Hemangiosarcoma, neoplasia, glomerulonephritis, liver disease
Metabolic/ Membrane Disorders: Torocytes
Punched out cells
An abrupt transition between the outer and central zones
an artifact of spreading the blood
Metabolic/Membrane Disorders: Stomatocytes
Central pallor is oval, elongated
resembles a mouth
In what circumstances will stomatocytes be present?
Inherited
Lead poisoning
Drying artifact
Metabolic/ Membrane Disorders: Ovalcytes (elliptocytes)
Cells that are oval with an oval region of central pallor
Normal in camelids
In what situations will you see ovalcytes in species where it is not normal?
Lymphoblastic leukemia
Hepatic lipidosis
Portosystemic shunts
Glomerulonephritis
Metabolic/Membrane Disorders: Lepatocytes
Codocytes and Bar cells
The cell membrane is too large for the quantity of hemoglobin
Lepatocytes: Codocytes
Target cells
Could be a change in polychromatophil
Liver disease
Lepatocytes: Bar cells
Knizocytes
Bar-shaped or line near central pallor
Mechanical Fragmentation
Caused by intravascular trauma or myelofibrosis
Schistocytes (Schizocytes)
Dacryocytes
Mechanical Fragmentation: Schistocytes or Schizocytes
Sheared off RBC
Caused by intravascular trauma
Irregularly shaped RBC
Seen with Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Mechanical Fragmentation: Dacryocytes
Happens in the bone marrow while they are developing
Tear-drop shaped cells
Caused by myelofibrosis
What does it mean if the points of the Dacryocytes are facing the same way?
It is an artifact of spreading
What is myelofibrosis?
Scarring of the bone marrow
The cause is unknown but may be secondary to lymphoma or leukemia
What are the six pseudoparasites?
Stain Precipitate, Basophilic stippling
Pappenheimer bodies, Refractile bodies
Platelets, Howell-Jolly bodies
Anaplasma marginale
Parasite seen in ruminants
What bacteria is Anaplasma marginal caused by?
Rickettsia spp
What happens to ruminants that are infected with Anaplasma marginal?
They get anemia quickly and the RBC break apart
Viral inclusions: Distemper
Inclusions are larger than Howell-Jolly bodies
Stain pink to red (sometimes blue)
Smooth glassy appearance
Mycoplasma haemocanis
Coccoid or rod-shaped blue structures forming chains on RBC
Seen in dogs who have had their spleens removed
Babesia Canis
Large intracellular, pear-shaped parasite
Protozoan
Cause the RBC to break apart, anemia and icterus
Mycoplasma haemofelis
A common cause of feline infectious anemia
Passed via vectors or from queen to kitten
Small, blue, coccoid, rod, or ring-shaped organisms on the surface of RBC
