Identification of Blood Cells

Question 1

pink/orange grainy cytoplasm with indistinct granules; dense clumped chromatin within a segmented nucleus

Answer 1

Neutrophil

Question 2

distinct and uniform red granules, bi-lobed nucleus (usually)

Answer 2

Eosinophil

Question 3

small mononuclear cells with scant blue cytoplasm and round nuclei with dense, sometimes clumpy chromatin

Answer 3

Lymphocyte

Question 4

larger than most lymphocytes, grey-blue cytoplasm, may have granules or vacuoles, bean shaped irregular nucleus

Answer 4

Monocyte

Question 5

increased blue cytoplasm, polygonal nuclei, enhancing blue edging and azurophilic (pink/purple) granules

Answer 5

Large Granular Lymphocyte (T and NK cells)

Question 6

large cell with correspondingly large, multi- lobular nuclei (caused by endomitosis)

Answer 6

Megakaryocyte

Question 7

increased blue cytoplasm, larger polygonal nuclei may have nucleoli, tend to mold around RBC with enhanced blue edge (“skirting”)

Answer 7

Reactive Lymphocyte (atypical lymphocytes)

Question 8

moderately sized cell that saints blue on Wright stain due to residual RNA, anucleate

Answer 8

Reticulocyte, Young RBC

Question 9

slightly larger than a blast, with more cytoplasm and distinctive reddish granules that are often distributed to one side of the cell, nucleus has immature appearance often with a perinuclear clear zone representing the Golgi apparatus

Answer 9

Young Immature myeloid cell (promyelocyte- transitioning to metamyelocytes and bands)

Question 10

biconcave disc with central pallor (normally <⅓ cell diameter), normal size comparable to nucleus of WBC, anucleate

Answer 10

Erythrocyte (RBC)

Question 11

eccentric round nuclei in significant purple/blue cytoplasm

Answer 11

Plasma Cell

Question 12

almost perfectly circular nucleus that has very blue and white (patchy or salami-like) distribution in a dark blue staining cytoplasm

Answer 12

Immature erythroid cell/ Nucleated RBC

Question 13

irregular, chunky purple granules that obscure a bi- or tri-lobed nucleus

Answer 13

Basophil

Question 14

size and N:C ratio is declining, has a round/oval nucleus and granules are less distinct and more orange/pink as nucleus begins to elongate

Answer 14

Young Immature myeloid cell (meyelocyte)

Question 15

How do you distinguish a monocyte from a large granular lymphocyte?

Answer 15

monocytes don’t have granules but you often see vacuoles with large granular lymphocytes you can usually count the number of granules in them