Lab Terms Flashcards
This is an example of:
Agglutination: The clumping of small particles suspended in a solution (like RBCs)
Ex: IMHA (Immune mediated hemolytic anemia)
Aggregation
a clumped mass of material.
Ex: Platelet Clumps
Define: Agranulocyte
White blood cell without granules (e.g., monocytes and lymphocytes).
Define: Anemia
A decrease in hemaglobin, RBC’s and Hematocrit (decreased oxygen carrying capacity)
This is an example of:
Anisocytosis: Variation in size
This can be due to increased numbers of large RBC or small RBC, or a combination of both. Some degree of anisocytosis is normal in animals.
Define: Anuria
Unable to produce urine
Ex: Antifreeze toxicity; Leptospirosis
Define: Azurophilic granules
a cellular object readily stainable with a Romanowsky stain.
Define: Basophilia
An increase in basophils
Rare
Ex: Some types of leukemia
What is this called? When does it occur?
Basophilic stippling on RBC’s
Ex: Lead poisoning, rarely anemia
Define: Bilirubin
an orange-yellow pigment formed in the liver by the breakdown of hemoglobin and excreted in bile. (Will cause serum to be yellow if elevated)
Ex: Elevated in liver failure, fatty liver, leptospirosis.
Define: Bilirubinuria
Elevated bilirubin in the urine (evaluated on the dipstick)
Ex: can be normal in dogs; Never normal in cats (indicates liver disease)
What is in the buffy coat?
It contains WBC and platelets
Define: Coagulation
the action or process of a liquid, especially blood, changing to a solid or semi-solid state.
The formation of a blood clot
Define: Conjugated bilirubin
The bilirubin that once it reaches the liver and undergoes a chemical change. It moves to the intestines before being removed through your stool.
Define: Continence
The ability to voluntarily control a reaction like defecation and urination
What is this type of RBC called?
Crenation: the formation of abnormal notching around the edge of an erythrocyte (burr cell).
Can be seen in urine with a high specific gravity;
Define: Crystaluria
The presence of crystals in a urine sample
Define: Cylinduria
The presence of casts in urine
Define: Cystocentisis
Collection of urine from the bladder with a needle and syringe
Define: Dysuria
Difficult urination
Can happen when an intact male dog can only pass small amounts of urine due to an elarged prostate.
What is this an example of?
Ecchymosis
Can occur in rat bait toxicity and ITP (immune mediated thrombocytopenia)
Define: Endogenous substances
Produced inside an organism or cell
Ex: Hormones, Antibodies
Define: Eosinopenia
Decrease in eosinophils
Ex: Sepsis, Cushings (increased cortisol)
Define: Erythropoiesis
The production of new red blood cells
Define: EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid )
What color blood tube is it in?
This white, water-soluble solid is widely used to bind to iron and calcium ions. It prevents blood from clotting
Purple top tubes
Define: Exogenous substances
substances that originate from outside a living organism.
Ex: Antibiotics
Define: Fibrinolysis
The breakdown of fibrin
This breaks down small blood clots in the body
Define: Glucosuria
Glucose in the urine (evaluated on dipstick)
Ex: Diabetes Melitus; some antibiotics can cause a false positive
Define: Granulocyte
Any of a group of white blood cells having granules in the cytoplasm.
Ex: Neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils
Define: Hematuria
Blood present in the urine
(evaluated on gross exam, dipstick and under the microscope)
Ex: Bladder infection; rat bait toxicity; trauma
Define: Hemaglobinura
The presence of hemaglobin in urine
Evaluated grossly (after spinning the urine down) and on the dipstick
Ex: Bladder infection
Define: Hemolysis
The destruction or dissolution of red blood cells, with subsequent release of hemoglobin.
Ex: can happen from collection of blood samples
Can also happen in the body by different diseases (ex: IMHA)
Define: Hemostasis
The stopage of bleeding
Define: Heterophil
predominate granulated leukocyte in the acute inflammatory response in birds
Define: Hyperchromasia
Elevated hemaglobin concentration
What is this an example of? When does it happen?
Hypersegmented Neutrophil
Ex: Prolonged life of a neutrophil (increased corticosteroids, inflammation)
Define: Hypersthisuria
Elevated specific gravity
FYI: I have never heard of this word… its dumb…
Define: Hypertonic
having an osmotic pressure greater than that of the solution with which it is compared
Ex: Hypertonic saline- used in cattle to correct dehydration and get them to drink more water (elevated salt [NaCl])
Used in dogs/cats with head trauma
Define: Hypochromic
Decreased hemaglobin
Define: Hyposthinuric
urine with low specific gravity
Define: Incontinence
The inability to control defecation or urination
Define: Isosthenuria
excretion of urine that has not been concentrated by the kidneys
Specific gravity: 1.001
Define: Ketonemia
Presence of ketones in the blood
Ex: Diabetes melitus, Milk fever
Define: Ketonuria
Ketones present in the urine
Ex: Diabetes mellitus, Milk fever
Define: Left shift
Increased immature leukocytes; usually with inflammation or infection
Seen on a blood smear
What type of cell if this? When will you see them?
Leptocyte
Can happen with liver disease
Define: Leukemia
Cancerous cells of the any blood line (RBC, WBC, Platelets) or in the bone marrow
Define: Leukocytosis
Elevated WBC count
Elevated via CBC machine and Blood smear
Ex: Inflammation, Infection, Leukemia
Define: Leukopenia
Decreased WBC count
EX: Sepsis, infection (tick-borne and others)
Define: Lymphocytosis
Elevated lymphocytes
Ex: infection, corticosteroids, inflammation, stress, post vaccination
Define: Macrocytic
Enlarged red blood cells
Define: Microcytic
Decreased size of RBCs
Define: Micturition
Act of urination
Define: Monocytosis
Eleveated monocytes
Ex: Stress, inflammation, secondary to cancer
Define: Myoglobinuria
Myoglobin in the urine
If urine is red and you spin it down and it is still red, that is myoglobinuria
Ex: trauma, heat stroke, myocytis
Define: Neutropenia
Decreased neutrophils
Ex: Sepsis, decreased production (bone marrow), increased destruction (immune mediated)
Define: Neutrophilia
Elevated neutrophils
Ex: Stress, inflammation, infection, increased production
Define: New Methylene blue (NMB)
What is it used for
A basic thiazine dye
Used for: used to evaluate inclusions in the RBCs
Define: Normochromic
Normal level of hemaglobin
Define: Normocytic
Normal RBC size
What is this? When do you see them?
Nucleated RBC (nRBC) Immature RBC Ex: Seen in regenerative anemias (the body is trying to produce RBCs and spits them out too early.. so they still have a nucleus)
Define: Oliguria
Decreased urine output
Define: Packed Cell Volume (PCV)
Measure of red blood cell mass (amount of RBCs in the blood)
Ex: Elevated PCV- Dehydration
Decreased PCV- Anemia
What is this an example of?
Petechiae
Ex: occurs with ITP (immune mediated thrombocytopeina); Anaplasmosis
Define: pH
a measure of the degree to which a solution is acidic or alkaline (basic)
Ex: Measured on urine dipstick
Define: Plasma
Liquid portion of the blood that contains water, proteins, mineral salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins.
Define: Poikilocytosis
RBCs with an abnormal shape
Define: Point of care testing
A test that can be run “bed side” or “cage side”
Ex: The only one we have at the clinic is the glucometer
Define: Pollakiuria
Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
Ex: When an owner calls to say a male cat is in and out of the litter box constantly passing tiny amounts of urine (Right before they become obstructed)
Define: Polychromasia
RBCs appear bluish; indicating young RBCs (like in a regenerative anemia)
Define: Polychromatiphilia
RBCs staining differently due to them being immature
Define: Polycythemia
Increase in total RBC volume (seen on CBC machine or PCV)
Ex: Dehydrated animals; EVERY Dachshaund I do blood on has this
Define: Polyuria
Excessive urination
EX: Cusings, Diabetes Mellitus, chronic kidney disease
Define: Postparandial
After eating
Define: Protienuria
Protien in the urine
Ex: cause by kidney disease, Lyme disease, if there is RBC, WBC or bacteria in the urine
Define: RBC
The blood cells that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide through the body
Define: Right Shift
When there is a large number of abnormally mature WBCs in the blood.
I have never heard of this… your book is dumb ;)
What is happening with these red blood cells?
Rouleaux (this is NOT agglutination)
Normal in: Horses, cats
Abnormal in dogs- can happen with elevated globulins (cancer, infection)
What are the circled cells? Why does it happen
Schistocytes
Ex: Disseminated intravascular coagulation, glomerular disease, vasculitis, portosystemic shunts and vascular neoplasms (e.g. hemangiosarcoma)
What are these? Why do they happen?
Smudge cells
Usually occur with leukemia
Define: Specific Gravity
measurement of the density of urine compared to pure water
Used to evaluate the kidneys concentrating ability
What type of cell is this? When do we see these?
Spherocytes
RBCs with lack of central pallor
Ex: IMHA (immune mediated hemolytic anemia)
What type of cells are these? When do they happen?
Stomatocytes
Ex: Hereditary in husky’s; Normal finding in dolphins :)
Define: Thrombocytosis
Elevated Platelets
Ex: Common in thyroid disease and cushings; can also see with IBD
Define: Thrombocytopenia
Decreased platelets
Ex: Anaplasmosis, ITP (immune mediated thrombocytopenia)
Define: Thrombocythemia
A disease where the bone marrow produces too many platelets
What type of cell is this? What causes them?
Torocyte
Usually an artifact from slide preperation
What type of cell is this? What causes it?
Toxic neutrophil
Ex: Inflammation, infection
Define: Turbidity
Cloudiness of a liquid (like urine)
Define: Urinometer
A type of instrument to measure specific gravity
Define: Urobilin
a brownish pigment formed by oxidation of urobilinogen; found in the feces and sometimes in the urine after standing in the air.
Define: Urobilinogen
a colorless compound formed in the intestines by the reduction of bilirubin
Define: Urolith
Bladder stone
Define: White blood cell (WBC)
Blood cells that function as part of the immune system
Define: Anticoagulant
A solution that prevents blood from clotting (Heparin, EDTA, Citrate)
Define: Azotemia
Elevated creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
Define: Bile
a clear yellow or orange fluid produced by the liver. It is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder, and is poured into the small intestine via the bile ducts when needed for digestion.
Define: Cholestasis
An interuption in excretion of bile from the gallbladder
Ex: Liver disease, mucus in gallbladder
Define: Dry chemistry
the use of strips impregnated with dry reagents to which the specimen is added.
Ex: Urinalysis strips
Define: Electrolytes
Salts and minerals that can conduct electrical impulses in the body. Common electrolytes are sodium chloride, potassium, calcium, and sodium bicarbonate. Electrolytes control the fluid balance of the body and are important in muscle contraction, energy generation, and almost every major biochemical reaction in the body.
Define: Electrophoresis
Used to seperate out different types of proteins.
Ex: Used to differentiate types of proteins in blood to help diagnosis tick borne disease veruses cancer
Define: Endogenous
Made in the body
Define: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
any enzyme immunoassay using an enzyme-labeled immunoreactant (antigen or antibody)
Ex: Our 4dx uses this
Define: Hemoglobinemia
presence of free hemoglobin in the blood plasma
Ex: IMHA
Define: Hypercalcemia
Elevated calcium
Ex: Anal gland tumors cause calcium to rise
Define: Hyperchloremia
Elevated chloride in the blood
Ex: Can happen with renal (kidney) failure
Define: hyperglycemia
Elevated blood glucose
Ex: Diabetes mellitus; stress (esp cats!!)
Define: Hyperkalemia
Elevated potassium
Ex: Addisons, Leptospirosis, Blocked cats
Define: Hyperlipidemia
Elevated lipids (fats) in the blood Ex: Caused by hypothyroidism (dogs) or can be genetic
Define: Hypernatremia
Elevated sodium in the blood
Ex: Paint ball toxicity
Define: hyperparathyroidism
The parathyroid gland is over producing hormones that cause the body to over produce calcium and in turn lose phosphorus.
Define: hyperphosphatemia
Elevated blood phosphorus
Ex: Kidney failure (causes them to not eat)
Define: Hypocalcemia
Decreased blood calcium
Ex: Inflammatory bowel disease (decreased absorption); Milk fever, Labor
Define: Hypochloremia
Decreased chloride in the body
Ex: Vomiting (there is a lot of chloride in the stomach acid)
Define: Hypokalemia
Decreased blood potassium
Ex: Chronic kidney disease (lost into the urine)
Define: Hyponatremia
Decreased sodium
Ex: Vomiting (sodium follows chloride)
Define: Hypoparathyroidism
Where the parathyroid gland does not produce enough calcium and will then over produce phosphorus
Define: Hypophosphatemia
Decreased blood phosphorus
Ex: Hyperparathyroidism; Milk fever
Define: icterus
The yellow coloration of serum, plasma, mucous membranes, sclera when the liver is not functioning
Define: Lipemia
When serum or plasma has a white, milky apperance due to high blood fat
Define: Malabsorption
Unable to absorb nutrients well
Define: Myositis
Inflammation of muscles
Define: Osmostic pressure
the pressure required to stop osmosis through a semipermeable membrane between a solution and pure solvent; it is proportional to the osmolality of the solution.
Example: If a pet has low albumin the liquid portion of the blood will freely flow out of blood vessles into the tissue causing edema.
Define: Photometry
Measurement of the intensity of light- used in our chemistry machine to measure the level of enzymes in the blood (like in our Chem 10 etc)
Define: Prehepatic
Happening before the liver
Prehepatic cholestasis can be cause by pancreatitis (the pancrease swells and block excretion of bile)
Define: Rapid immunomigration
Can be used to detect bacterial particles (other brands of heartworm tests use this)
Define: Refractometer
Used to measure specific gravity and total protein
Define: Serum
an amber-colored, protein-rich liquid that separates out when blood coagulates. Does not contain fibrinogen
