LabTech

6/22/99

Where to WBC's

1. Blood stream (peripheral blood)

2. Bone marrow

3. Found in various tissues throughout the body

Handout on White Blood Cells

SLIDES

1.-7. Neutrophil—staining process combo of 3 different Wright stain acidic, basic and neutral stain, w/ a DNA stain (nucleus is purple), the others stain specific granules (lysozomes, enzymes) neutrophils stain neutral part small (bluish/pink), segmented nucleus, 3 lobes or more

7. immature neutrophil
8. band (immature) neutrophil—band shaped, on the way to segmenting
9. band neutrophil—starts out round, then indents, and constricts

Lymphocytes

• second most common
• no specific granules
• a little bigger than RBC
• one round nucleus that takes up most of the cytoplasm
• a.k.a. agranular (along w/monocytes)
• small, medium, and large
• misshapen by other cells

Monocytes

• biggest of all
• modeled nucleus—dark and light patches together
• vacuoles—spaces in cytoplasm w/fluid
• phagocytosis
• leave blood stream to become macrophages
• convoluted nucleus

Eosinophils

• granules—don't photograph well
• can be large (larger than neutrophils)
• bright orange
• lobed or segmented (along w/basophils)

Basophils

• large black granules
• obscure the nucleus
• not very common
• 0-0.5% of the WBC's population
• contain histamine and heparin
• may be precursor to mast cells

Blood Smear

• feathered edge
• thicker portion
• find and look in the feathered edge
• RBCs are separated enough to see WBC's

ESR

• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
• Cells that settle faster are the ones that clump together b/c sticky—Rouleaux
• RBCs stick together b/c excess protein in blood
• RBCs stack up
• Inflammatory condition—30-50mm
• Normal is 0-15mm