Leukocytes Flashcards
What is the difference between leukocytosis and leukopenia?
Leukocytosis is an increase in white blood cells, and leukopenia is a decrease in white blood cells
Approximately what is the diameter of a neutrophil?
12-15 micrometers
What shape is a neutrophil’s nucleus?
Lobulated or partially segmented
What color is a neutrophil’s cytoplasm?
Pale pink or light blue
Rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, and reptiles have neutrophils, as well as another kind of neutrophil. What is it called? What makes it different from a regular neutrophil?
Heterophil; the granules are more prominent
What are toxic neutrophils?
Neutrophils that have been activated during times of inflammatory disease or toxemia
What are some morphological changes seen in a toxic neutrophil?
It has blue cytoplasm that shows foamy vacuolation, the nucleus is abnormally shaped, and there are Dohle bodies present in the cytoplasm
Where are neutrophils produced?
It is a myloid cell made in the bone marrow
Neutrophil, eosinophil, and basophil migration into tissues is unidirectional, what does this mean?
Once they’ve reached the tissue, they stay there, and they do not return into circulation
What is the average lifespan of a neutrophil?
About 1-4 days
What is the most frequent case of leukocytosis?
Neutrophilia, which is a high number of neutrophil granulocytes in the blood
What is the main function of neutrophils?
Defense
What are some causes of neutrophilia?
Epinephrine release, corticosteriods or stress, and acute or chronic inflammation
In dogs and cats, there are in general more _______ than any other type of WBC, in a ratio of about 3.5:1
Neutrophils
What is the most frequent cause of leukopenia?
Neutropenia, which is a decreased number of neutrophils
What are some causes of neutropenia?
acute demand or consumption in tissues, decreased production in bone marrow, ineffective granulopoiesis, or increased margination (neutrophils that do not circulate)
What are band cells?
Immature neutrophils
A left shift is an increased number of band cells. What is a degenerative left shift?
When the number of band cells exceeds the number of mature neutrophils in circulation
Approximately what is the size of a lymphocyte?
About 9-12 micrometers
What are the 3 main types of lymphocytes?
B cells, T cells and memory cells
B cells and T cells both originate in the bone marrow, but mature in different locations, where do they mature?
B cells mature in the bursa, and T cells mature in the thymus
What is the pathway of circulation for a lymphocyte?
Blood -> Lymph nodes -> Lymph -> Blood
What is the lifespan of a B cell?
Months to years, depending on what it’s used for
What is lymphocytosis?
Increased number of lymphocytes
What are some causes of lymphocytosis?
Excitement (typically in cats and young horses), antigentic stimulation, and lymphosarcoma/lymphoma or lymphocytic leukemia
What is lymphopenia?
Decreased number of lymphocytes
What are some causes of lymphopenia?
Glucocorticoids, disruption of lymphatic circulation, and lymphosarcoma/lymphoma
What is the biggest type of white blood cell?
Monocyte
What changes occur in a monocyte when it is exposed to EDTA?
Vacuolization of the cytoplasm, and the cytoplasm forms pseudopods around the RBCs in close proximity
Kupffer cells and glial cells are both types of what white blood cell?
Monocytes
Why aren’t basopenia or monocytopenia a clinically recognized condition?
Having zero monocytes or basophils is considered to be normal
What is the main function of monocytes?
Phagocytosis, regulation of the inflammatory response and antigen processing
Dogs, cats, and horses all have eosinophils with differently shaped granules, what shaped granules does each of them have?
Dogs - Round
Cats - Rod-shaped
Horse - Large and round
Eosinophils play a major role in the destruction of _________
Parasites
What is the lifespan of an eosinophil?
Several days to several weeks
When might we see an animal present with eosinophilia?
Worms, wheezes, and weird diseases
Most species’ basophils have dark purple granules, what species has lavender?
Cats
Mast cells are similar to what type of white blood cell?
Basophils
Why does caution have to be taken when excising a mast cell tumor?
The granules in mast cells contain histamine, and if the tumor ruptures, the histamine released to the patient under anesthesia can cause them to crash
Why will mast cells tumors get bigger if they’re messed around with too much?
The granules in mast cells contain histamine, which is a vasodilator; touching it can cause histamine to be released
What is the main function of a basophil?
hypersensitivity reactions (allergies) and inflammation
Where are mast cells typically found?
On the skin
