HematologyOutlines - Atlas
Blood/Blood Cells and Cellular Components ›› Red Blood Cells ›› Abnormal

Basophilic Stippling*


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Additional Image 1

› Microscopic Features:
  • Very small (dot-like) Blue or blue-gray granules distributed throughout the cytoplasm of RBCs
  • Composed of ribosomes
› Normal % blood-PB, marrow-BM, lymphoid tissue-LN:
  • PB: None
  • BM: None
  • LN: None
› May Resemble:
  • Pappenheimer bodies
  • Heinz bodies (seen with special stain only)
  • Howell-Jolly body
  • Hemoglobin H inclusion (seen with special stain only)
  • Malaria infection
  • Babesia infection
  • Giant platelets
  • Artifacts (e.g. Stain precipitate)
› Differential Diagnoses:

Lead poisoning
Thalassemia
Sickle cell anemia
MDS

› Classic Immunophenotype:
  • N/A
› Cartoon Image:



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RBC
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› Misc:
  • Note: Basophilic stippling is ribosomal inclusions in RBCs, while Pappenheimer bodies are iron deposits, Heinz bodies are precipitated hemoglobin seen with special stain (He for Heinz and He for Hemoglobin), and Howell Jolly bodies are DNA remnants