Laboratory Procedures

 ______________is the process of maturation of a RBC  Formed by the stem cell through action of the _________________________called ___________(EPO)  Maturation of a RBC takes about 5 days.

Erythrocyte Life Span  Stem Cell → _________________→ Prorubricyte → ___________________→ Metarubricyte→ ________________________→ RBC  Metarubricyte- nucleated RBC released in severe anemia.

 Dog ~________ days  Cat ~_______ days  Cow ~ 160 days  Horse ~ 145 days  Man ~ 120 days  Mouse ~ 30 days

 No _______________  ____________ varies among species

 RBC’s are classified the following criteria: ◦ 1) Cell _________________ on blood film ◦ 2) __________ ◦ 3) __________ ◦ 4) __________ ◦ 5) Presence of ___________ on erythrocytes (We will come back to this one!)

 Normal erythrocytes should lie in a nice, even, __________ layer on the _____________- most edge of a blood film

 Defined:____________________________________ ____________. ◦ It can be a sign of increased fibrinogen or globulin concentration ◦ Can be an _______seen in blood that is held too long before preparation of blood slide or if refrigerated. ◦ If a drop of _______ is added to blood, rouleaux will disperse

 May appear as rouleaux (stacks) or in clusters  Occurs in ______________disorders  An ______________ coats the cell causing bridging or clumping.  If a drop of _____________ is added to blood, agglutination will not disperse

◦ 2) Color of Erythrocyte  Erythrocytes that are normally colored are called _______________________________  Polychromasia: ______________________________  Polychromasia can appear as ______chromasia or _____chromasia.

 Can exist as ________________________ or ________________________.  Polychromatic erythrocytes exhibit a ____________ tint. This is caused by a small amount of ______________ retained in the cytoplasm. These may appear as a ________________________________________. (We will talk about these later in this presentation.)

 Is a __________________ in color, due to a decreased staining intensity caused by insufficient ________________________ within the cell.  Most commonly caused by __________________________________

 Refers to a cell that appears _____________ than normal cells. This gives the appearance that the cell is over-saturated with _______________________.  TRUE hyperchromasia cannot exist!  Each erythrocyte has a ____________________________________________ for hemoglobin and over-saturation cannot occur  If cells appear hyperchromic, there is another underlying concern.

 Stands for: ______________________________________________  Describes cells as normochromic or hypochromic (why no hyperchromic?)  Normal MCHC is 31-36%  (You will learn this calculation in Clin. Path)

 Erythrocytes that are of normal, consistent size are called ___________________________________  Anisocytosis: _______________________________  ___________________ cells are smaller than normal cells  ___________________ cells are larger than normal cells

 Variations in ___________________  Can indicate ___________________  Classified by ____________________ OR _____________________

 Simply means that there are an abnormal amount of cells _____________________ than normal size.  Can indicate __________________ disease or _____________________ deficiency.

 Indicates that there is an abnormal amount of cells that are ___________________ than normal.  Can indicate _______________ deficiency.

 Stands for ____________________________________________  Describes cells as being ____________________, ___________________, or _____________________.  Measures the average volume of RBC’s.  Normal values are fL (femtolitres)

 Poikilocytosis: ______________________________  This is an “________________________” term that cannot suggest a ______________________

 Is a major deviation in the normal ____________ of the erythrocyte.  Remember that this term is an umbrella term for abnormally ________________ erythrocytes, and should not be used as a _______________.

 All of the following cells are under the “umbrella” of Poikilocytes. They just have different names!  (Remember rule #2)

Schistocytes (Fragmented Cells)  RBC’s with abnormal shape.  Formed as a result of shearing of the cell by _______strands. This occurs when red blood cells rapidly pass through microvasculature that is lined or meshed with strands.  They are observed in fragmentation hemolysis caused by _______________, ________________, ______________, and possibly ________________________anemia.

 The term acanthocyte is derived from the Greek word “acanthi” meaning “thorn” Acanthocytes are cells with five to ten irregular, blunt, finger-like projections.  The projections with vary in ______, __________,and surface ____________________.  These cells are seen in animals with altered ________________metabolism such as cats with _______________________________ or dogs with ______________ disease.

 Echinocytes have multiple, small, delicate regular shaped spines _______________________________ around the cell and are indistinguishable from artificially ___________________cells.

 Echinocyte formation can be ___________________, often seen with slow drying blood films or if the EDTA tube was ______________. This artifact is then termed ____________________.  Echinocytes have been associated with _______________disease, lymphosarcoma and rattlesnake bites in dogs.  They can been seen after exercise in ________________.

Crenation  Identified as the presence of many __________ membrane projections involving most RBC’s.  It is usually an ___________due to slow drying of the blood film.  Commonly observed in ___________blood but can be seen in any species.

 These cells are _________________ shaped with pointed ends.  Drepanocytes are often seen in normal blood of __________and ________________.  It is thought to be a result of low _______________tension.

 Cells with ____________________are called _______________cells or pre-keratocytes.

 Also called ___________cells. Keratocytes are associated with trauma especially cellular damage from contact with ________________strands.

Spherocytes  Cells have a spheroid shape instead of the usual biconcave disk shape.  Have ______________cell membrane and are ___________________________.  Seen most frequently in_______________ _________________________________(AIHA).  Usually seen in _______.

 These tear drop shaped cells are seen in _____________________________diseases.  These cells, when produced as an ______________can be identified by the direction of their tail.

 Dacryocytes produced as an artifact have their tails pointing in ___________________________________________.

 Is an “___________ term” describing cells that are characterized by an increase in membrane ___________________________.  Include the following: ◦ ________________________________

 The appearance of Folded cells with their _____________________________central pallor has been compared to a fish mouth and a coin slot.  Stomatocytes resemble a ____________________  Both are associated with a hereditary condition but are also seen in ____________disease, acute alcoholism (humans), and ________________imbalances.

Folded Cells Stomatocytes

Target Cells  Observed mainly in _______________.  Represent cells with an ____________________ membrane-to-volume ratio not specific to any disease.  The ________________________________is thin and flimsy.

 Thin, bell-shaped cells  Centrally stained area  Can indicate ____________disease or hemoglobinopathies.  May be seen as ________________when smears made in high ______________ or if ______________ dry.

 nRBC  Basophilic Stippling  Howell Jolly Bodies  Heinz Bodies  Reticulocytes

 Nucleated red blood cells (NRBC) usually represent early release of _________________red blood cells during ____________.  These are nuclear remnants seen in young erythrocytes during a response to anemia.

Basophilic Stippling  Observed in RBC’s that contain abnormal aggregation of __________.  Can be observed in cases of _____________________poisoning, with non- regenerative ______________or intense _______________________in dogs, cats, and ruminants.

Howell-Jolly Bodies  ___________________remnants observed in young erythrocytes.  Often observed in ________and __________.  Can be seen in __________________anemic animals.  Also may be seen with ____________disease or in an animal with the ________________removed.

Heinz Bodies  Particles of denature ________________protein.  They stain with new methylene blue and appear as ________________________ with quick stain.  May be caused by certain drugs and chemicals. Also associated with __________ or ____________toxicity in dogs!  Normal __________blood may have 2-3%.  ___________recognizes as abnormal and starts to lyse the cells.

Heinz Bodies

 These are immature red blood cells that contain _____________(ribosomes) that are lost in the mature cell. Cats have two forms of reticulocytes. ◦ The _______________ form contains large clumps of reticulum. They mature into the _____________form within _____hours. ◦ The _______________form, unique to ________, contains two to eight singular granules. Punctate reticulocytes circulate for ___________days before the all the ________________are lost.

Reticulocytes in the Peripheral Blood  Non-nucleated cell containing RNA which can be easily seen when stained with methylene blue.  Hallmark of erythrocyte ___________________response.