WBC Flashcards
(79 cards)
1
Q
What are the five types of leukocytes?
A
Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, lymphocytes
2
Q
Which of the leukocytes are considered granulocytes?
A
Basophils, eosinophils, and neutrophils; they all have granules.
Remember BEN.
3
Q
Which leukocytes are part of the innate immune system?
A
Neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, and monocytes
4
Q
Which leukocytes are part of the adaptive immune system?
A
Lymphocytes
5
Q
What do neutrophils do?
A
They are the 1st responders and they phagocytize bacteria.
6
Q
Do neutrophils have granules?
A
Yes, but they do not pick up stain so you can’t see them.
7
Q
What are three characteristics of neutrophils?
A
- 2x size of RBC
- Segmented nucleus
- No visible granules
8
Q
What are three characteristics of eosinophils?
A
- 2x size of RBC
- Segmented nucleus (bilobed)
- Red or pink cytoplasmic granules
9
Q
In what breed of dog do the granules of eosinophils not stain well?
A
Greyhounds
10
Q
What do eosinophils do?
A
They kill parasites and are involved in allergies (hypersensitivity type 1).
11
Q
What leukocyte is very rare to find?
A
Basophils
12
Q
What are three characteristics of basophils?
A
- 2x size of RBC
- Segmented nucleus
- Lavender/purple cytoplasmic granules
13
Q
Monocytes in the blood become ________________ in the tissues.
A
Macrophages
14
Q
What are three characteristics of monocytes?
A
- Big bois 2.5-3x size of RBC
- Kidney shaped/horse shoe shaped nucleus
- Pale grey cytoplasm with vacuoles
15
Q
What leukocytes get antigens presented to them?
A
Lymphocytes
16
Q
What leukocytes present antigens to lymphocytes?
A
Monocytes
17
Q
What do monocytes do?
A
They are the precursors of macrophages which gobble up all the bad stuff and they present antigens to lymphocytes.
18
Q
What do basophils do?
A
Essentially same as eosinophils, involved in destroying parasites and allergies (histamine).
19
Q
What are three characteristics of lymphocytes?
A
- Small ~1-1.5 size of RBC
- Segmented nucleus that is round and dark due to chromatin
- Their nucleus takes up so much room there is hardly any cytoplasm
20
Q
What tube do CBC blood tests go in?
A
Purple top EDTA
21
Q
Purple top EDTA tubes must be analyzed within _________ hours.
A
48
22
Q
What is myelopoiesis? How long does it take?
A
The production of leukocytes. It takes around 3 days.
23
Q
When we take a blood sample, we are sampling the ____________ pool.
A
Circulating
Imagine the blood vessel as a tube and the needle is taking liquid from the center of it.
24
Q
Is it possible to have eosinopenia, monocytopenia, or basopenia?
A
Not really; the normal reference interval is like 0-1 so you can’t really have less than zero.
25
What is the difference between the circulating pool and marginating pool of neutrophils?
The circulating pool refers to the neutrophils that are in the center, flowing through the blood vessels. The marginating pool are the neutrophils that had adhered to the endothelial vessel lining.
26
In dogs and cats, are there more neutrophils in the marginating or circulating pools normally?
There are more in the marginating pool. The ratio is approx 2-3:1 (marginating:circulating).
27
What can neutrophilia be a sign of (four)?
- Stress (steroid)
- Epinephrine release when scared or excited (physiologic)
- Inflammation/infection
- Neoplasia
28
Why may eosinophilia not be reflected in our blood sample?
Parasites reside in the tissues so that's where the eosinophils will also be.
29
What can eosinophilia be a sign of (two)?
- Parasitism
- Allergic/hypersensitivity disorders
30
What can monocytosis be a sign of (three)?
- Physiologic leukograms
- Steroid leukograms
- An increased demand for phagocytic cells (inflammation, necrosis, trauma, etc.)
31
True or False: Young animals will have higher lymphocyte counts.
True because their immune system is developing.
32
What are four differentials for lymphocytosis?
- Physiologic leukogram
- Chronic antigen stimulation
- Age (being a young animal)
- Post-vaccination
33
What could cause lymphopenia?
- Stress leukogram
- Leakage of chyle
- Immunodeficiency
34
What could cause neutropenia?
- Decreased production of neutrophils in bone marrow
- Neutrophils shifting from circulating pool to marginating pool
- Increased emigration to tissues outstripping bone marrow production
35
Blood leukocyte concentrations are influenced by what three things?
1. Production in bone marrow
2. Distribution in marginating and circulating pools
3. Migration to tissues
36
What will you see in a stress leukogram?
Neutrophilia, Lymphopenia, Monocytosis
37
True or False: In a stress leukogram there are changes in the absolute numbers of the different leukocytes
False, the numbers are staying the same, but the concentrations in the different pools (marginating/circulating) are changing
38
The release of _______________ causes the changes seen in a stress leukogram
Glucocorticoids
39
Why does there seem to be an increase in neutrophils during a stress leukogram?
1. Neutrophils are shifting from the marginating pool to the circulating pool.
2. Neutrophils are not migrating to the tissues as much.
3. Cortisol (stress) makes the bone marrow storage pool release more neutrophils.
40
What are the key three features of a stress leukogram?
Neutrophilia, Lymphopenia, Monocytosis
41
What causes lymphopenia during a stress leukogram?
Lymphocytes move from the circulating pool to the lymph nodes, making it look like lymphopenia.
42
What is another name for a stress leukogram?
Steroid leukogram
43
What is another name for physiologic leukogram?
Excitement leukogram
44
The release of _______________ causes the changes seen in a physiologic leukogram
Epinephrine
45
When do physiologic leukograms occur?
In times of fear, excitement, or strenuous exercise
46
What are the key features of a physiologic leukogram?
Neutrophilia, Lymphocytosis
47
What causes neutrophilia during a physiologic leukogram?
Epinephrine causes neutrophils to shift from the marginating pool to the circulating pool.
48
What causes lymphocytosis during a physiologic leukogram?
More lymphocytes are recruited from the spleen into the circulating pool.
49
High glucose can also be a sign of ____________
Stress
50
What species can have really high levels of neutrophils during a physiologic leukogram?
Cats can have 3-4x the upper reference level; Dogs can have 2x the upper reference level.
51
What are three changes we see in neutrophils with inflammation?
1. Increased numbers of circulating neutrophils (neutrophilia).
2. Immature neutrophils circulating (band neutrophils, left shift).
3. Rapidly produced neutrophils that are morphologically abnormal (toxic change).
52
Are neutrophil counts a good indicator of inflammation in cattle?
No, neutrophil counts in adult cattle are often low.
53
What is a left shift?
Increased numbers of immature/band neutrophils circulating.
54
What is a degenerative left shift?
When the number of band neutrophils is greater than the number of segmented ones, indicative of severe inflammation.
55
What are degenerate neutrophils?
Dying neutrophils found in the tissues.
56
What is it called when abnormalities are seen in neutrophils that are being produced at a very fast rate?
Toxic change
57
What are five features of toxic change?
1. Cytoplasmic basophilia.
2. Dohle bodies.
3. Cytoplasmic vacuolation.
4. Nuclear immaturity.
5. Toxic granularity.
58
What are key features of an acute inflammatory leukogram?
Neutrophilia, Increase in band neutrophils, Lymphopenia
59
What are key features of an acute overwhelming inflammation on leukogram?
Neutropenia, Increased band neutrophils, Toxic change
60
What are key features of chronic inflammation on leukogram?
Marked neutrophilia, Low grade toxic change
61
A TS:Fibrinogen ratio of what indicates dehydration?
> 20
62
A TS:Fibrinogen ratio of what indicates inflammation?
< 15
63
What is pancytopenia?
Decrease in RBCs, WBCs, and platelets
64
What is a leukemia?
A neoplasm of the blood and bone marrow where the bone marrow produces large numbers of abnormal white blood cells, which crowd out normal blood cells (blasts)
65
What are the main categories that we divide leukemia into?
We classify them into: 1. Myeloid or lymphoid (B or T) 2. Acute or chronic
66
Describe an acute leukemia (three)
Immature, poorly differentiated, aggressive clinically
67
Describe a chronic leukemia (three)
Mature, well differentiated, indolent slowly progressive
68
If a dog has leukemia, what do you expect to find in the erythrogram and the thrombogram? What value on the CBC should be high?
Since leukemia causes pancytopenia, we would expect to see neutropenia, non-regenerative anemia, and thrombocytopenia. There will be a high number of abnormal WBCs or blasts in circulation.
69
What are four indications that you should get a bone marrow sample?
- Persistent unexplained neutropenia
- Non-regenerative anemia
- Excessively high blast count or suspicious circulating cells
- Pancytopenia
70
Why do animals with hemic neoplasia often have pancytopenia?
Hemic neoplasmia is a bone marrow neoplasm, so its growth wipes out all other cell lines. The bone marrow starts making neoplastic cells and there will be a deficiency in RBC, neutrophils, and platelets.
71
Why do patients with hemic neoplasia have a massive increase of WBC?
It's not actually increased numbers of WBC, but a huge number of neoplastic cells that the machine is mistaking for WBC total.
72
What are three differentials for neutropenia?
1. Decreased production of neutrophils in bone marrow (ex. - estrogen/chemotherapeutic agents, viruses, immune mediated)
2. Cellular shifting from the circulating to marginal pool (ex. endotoxemia)
3. Increased tissue emigration outstripping bone marrow production (ex. severe acute inflammation with degenerative left shift and toxic change)
73
What are three differentials for lymphopenia?
1. Stress leukogram
2. Leakage of chyle (ex. protein losing enteropathy, chylothorax)
3. Immunodeficiency
74
What are three causes of decreased neutrophil production in bone marrow?
- Estrogen/chemotherapeutic agents
- Parvovirus/panleukopenia
- Leukemia
75
What is granulocytic hypoplasia?
A condition where there is a reduced production or development of granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils)
76
What are key features of a granulocytic hypoplasia leukogram?
- Neutropenia
- Decreased total WBC (this differentiates it from a hemic neoplasia!!)
All other parameters are usually WRI
77
What are key features of a hemic neoplasia leukogram?
- Neutropenia
- HUGE increase in total WBC (remember these are abnormal ugly WBCs though)
78
____________ is a malignancy of hematopoietic cells with significant circulating population.
Leukemia
79
How does endotoxemia affect neutrophil numbers?
It will cause a neutropenia because a there is a cellular shift from the circulating to marginal pool.
