Normal Blood Cell Morphology

 Safety precautions  Quality assessment  Use oil immersion

 Examine feathered edge

 Relative cell size  Nuclear characteristics  Cytoplasmic characteristics

 Most numerous blood cell  Nonnucleated  Central area of pallor  6–8 µm  Stain pink-tan

 Smallest blood “cell”  Cytoplasmic fragment Derived from megakaryocyte Contains granules

 Largest of blood cells  Five basic types Granulocytes  Neutrophil, eosinophil, basophil Lymphocytes Monocytes

 Most numerous WBC  Segmented nucleus  Neutral-staining (pink-lilac) granules  Band cell is immature form

 Red-orange granules  Nucleus has two to three lobes  Present in low numbers

 Only seen occasionally  Blue-black granules

 Smallest WBC  Round to oval nucleus  Sky-blue cytoplasm  Occasional granules

Lymphocyte

 Largest WBC  Horseshoe-shaped or folded nucleus  Gray-blue cytoplasm  Occasional vacuoles