Erythroid Flashcards
List the components of blood
- Fluid (plasma/serum)
- Ions
- Proteins (albumin, globulin, hormones, mediators, clotting factors, nutrients)
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
- Gas
- Cells
List the functions of blood
- Transport: nutrients, oxygen, waste removal, hormones and other mediators
- Fluid/electrolyte haemostasis
- coagulation
- thermoregulation
What are reticulocytes?
Immature non-nucleated erythrocytes prematurely release to blood from bone marrow in regenerative anaemias. Names based on stain used - DiffQuik = polychromatophils, NMB = reticulocytes
Describe the appearance of reticulocytes
- Romanowsky stains: Polychromatic, blue-pink mixed colour due to staining of ribosomes and haemoglobin
- Using new methylene blue stain: precipitation demonstrates RNA protein complexes
What is the clinical relevance of reticulocytes?
- Evaluation of erythropoiesis in bone marrow
- Differentiation of regenerative and non-regenerative anaemia
What is the absolute reticulocyte count?
The observed percentage of reticulocytes x RBC and is independent of variation of RBC numbers, ggiven as x10^9/l
What are the methods for the assessment of reticulocyte production?
- Reticulocyte count (gives percentage)
- Absolute reticulocyte count
- Reticulocyte production index (sometimes used in dogs, going out of favour)
What are the 2 patterns of reticulocyte staining in cats?
- Aggregate
- Punctate
Describe the dog-specific reticulocyte response (normal vs regerenative anaemia)
- Low number of reticulocyte (<1%) in a healthy animal
- Little regerenation of RBCs needed (live for ~100 days)
- > 60x10^9/l in regenerative anaemia (>10 polychromatic cells per oil immersion field)
Describe the cat specific reticulocyte response (normal vs regenerative anaemia)
- Low numbers normally ().2-1.6%)
- Aggregate = 0.5% of erythrocytes, punctate = 1-10%
- .50x10^9/l in regenerative anaemia
Which type of reticulocyte is considered in cats in the assessment of regeneration?
Aggregate
Compare the appearance of aggregate and punctate reticulocytes
- Aggregate: blue stained, coarse clumping
- Punctate: small, blue stained dots
Describe the ruminant and hose specific reticulocyte response (normal and anaemia)
- Virtually no reticulcytes in normal blood, can regenerate when have anaemia but generally do not release these into blood in normal animal
- Reticulocytes may not appear even in very severe anaemias in horses
- In cattle, peak production 7-14 days post acute blood loss
Compare the platelet size in dogs and cats
Platelet vs RBC size differs more in dog than cat
Outline some haematological variations within dog breeds
- Macrocytosis in some poodles
- Akitas have unusually small erythrocytes and particularly high potassium content
- Greyhounds have high PCVs (0.55-0.6l/L)
What is red blood cell size measured by?
MCV (fL) = mean corpuscular volume = PCV (L/L) x1000/RBC count (10^12/L)
What conditions are indicated by macrocytosis of RBCs?
- Regenerative anaemia
- FeLV infection
- Myeloproliferative disease
- Normal in poodles
What does hypochromic macrocytosis indicate?
Regenerative anaemia haemorrhage, haemolysis)
What does normochromic macrocytosis indicate?
Non-regenerative anaemia, assocaited with FeLV usubgroup A in kittens and myeloproliferative disorders in dogs and cats
What does hypochromic microcytosis indicate?
- With anaemia: classic iron deficinecy, chronic external blood loss
- Without anaemia: portosystemic shunts
What is the most common cause of iron deficiency in dogs?
Occult loss from GIT
Explain how microcytosis occurs as a result of iron deficiency
- At a certain haemoglobin concentration this triggers the cell to stop dividing
- Where this takes longer to reach due to deficiency,t he cell will continue to get smaller until the correct concentration is reached
What conditions may cause microcytosis?
- Iron deficiency
- Altered iron metabolism
- Dogs/cats with portosystemic shunts
- Normal in Akitas
What is Red Cell distribution Width?
A numeric representation of the variability in RBC size, more sensitive than MCV
How is red blood cell colour assessed?
MCH and MCHC (mean cell haemoglobin/concentration in cells)
What is MCHC?
- g/L = Hb (g/L)/PCV (L/L)
What is MCH?
- pg = Hb (g/L)/RBC (10^12/L)
Compare the use of MCHC and MCH
MCHC more useful than MCH since cell size is taken into account
Explain what is meant by normochromic and hypochromic red blood cells
- Normo: normal MCHC, normal Hb content
- Hypo: low MCHC, low Hb content
What may cause a raised MCHC?
- Not physiologically possible
- Almost always due to sample or in vivo haemolysis
- May be artifactual in lipaemic samples
- or Heinz bodies
What is the haemoglobin distribution width?
Hb equivalent of RDW, numeric equivalent to seeing polychromasia on slide
What is indicated by normochromic, microcytic red blood cells?
Most likely analytic error, miscounting paltelets
What is indicated by microcytic, hypochromic cells?
Fe deficiency or PS shunts
What is indicated by macrocytic, hypochromic cells?
Regenerative anaemia (or cell swelling in sample transport)
What is indicated by normocytic, normochromic red blood cells?
If anaemic, often inflammation/chronic illness
Name the different morphological appearances of red blood cells
- Codocytes
- Acanthocytes
- Spherocytes
- Schistocytes
- Burr cells/crenation