This document provides information about identifying normal and abnormal erythrocytes under a microscope. It describes the typical appearance of normal red blood cells and various abnormalities in size, shape, and color that can indicate diseases. Examples of abnormalities include anisocytosis, microcytosis, spherocytes, hypochromia, poikilocytosis, schistocytes, elliptocytes, target cells, acanthocytes, echinocytes, sickle cells, and inclusions like basophilic stippling, Howell-Jolly bodies, Pappenheimer bodies, Heinz bodies, and reticulocytes. The document outlines the procedure for examining a blood smear under an oil immersion objective to identify these

1. Tansen School of Health Science
Practical write up
Subject: Haematology
Title: identify normal and abnormal erythrocyte
Aim: Able to identify the normal and abnormal erythrocyte
Introduction:
Erythrocyte: - they are also known as red blood cells.Rbcs are the most numerous of blood cells.
RBCs are biconcave, non-nucleated, disc like cells and red in colour due to the presence of Hb.
After doing wright stain it looks like salmon pink colour.
Procedure:
1) Choose the portion of the smear where the red cells are beginning to overlap.
2) Place a drop of immersion oil on the smear. Switch to the oil immersion objective and
examine the film by moving from one field to the next, systematically. The various
observation are as follows:
Various erythrocytes observed under oil immersion objective.
Normal red
cells
-round cells
-having small
area of central
pallor
Size
Abnormalities
Anisocytosis
-variation in
the size

2. Microcytosis
-decrease in
size
Macrocytosis
-increase in
size
Oval
macrocytes
Oval shaped
red cells
Spherocytes
-spherical
shape
Color
Abnormalities
Hypochromia
-red cells with
a large area of
central pallor.

3. Polychromasia
- Immature
erythrocytes
with a high
RNA content
shape
abnormalities
Poikilocytosis
-a variation in
the shape of
rbc
Schistocytes
-red cell
fragments
Elliptocytes
-more oval
than oval
oocyst(cigar
shape)
target cells
-centrally
stained area

4. Acanthocytes
Red cells with
sharp,
irregular, thorn
like projection
on the outer
edge.
Echinocytes
-red cell with
pointed
projection
Sickle cells
-red cell with
sickle shape
Tear drop cells
-rbc with tear
drop shape
Stomatocytes
- The central
pallor is not
round in
stomatocytes,
but rather
oblong
Inclusions

5. Basophilic
stippling
-presence of
fine or course
purple staining
granules in the
red cells.
Howell-jolly
bodies
-round purple-
staining
nuclear
fragments in
the red blood
cell
Pappenheimer
bodies
Pappenheimer
bodies are
fine-grained
inclusions
which are
visible with
Wright
staining
Siderocytes
- Erythrocytes
with these
types of
inclusions are
called
siderocytes.

6. Heinz bodies
Heinz bodies
are composed
of denatured
haemoglobin
Other
abnormalities
Reticulocytes
-Immature
RBC
Normoblasts
- Normoblasts
are the
nucleated
precursors of
eruthrocytes
Rouleaux
formation
- erythrocytes
clump together
Agglutination

7. Densly packed
red blood cells
in
polycythemia
- The
erythrocytes
are tightly
packed and
overlap each
other
References:
Godkar, P.B. and Godkar, D.P., 2006. Textbook of medical laboratory technology. Bhalani publishing house
Pic:by google