Howell-Jolly bodies are
histopathologicalHistopathology refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease...
findings of basophilic nuclear remnants (clusters of
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
) in circulating erythrocytes. During maturation in the bone marrow erythrocytes normally expel their nuclei, but in some cases a small portion of DNA remains.
It is named for
William Henry HowellWilliam Henry Howell, Ph.D., M.D., LL.D., Sc.D. was an American physiologist. He pioneered the use of heparin as a blood anti-coagulant....
and
Justin Marie JollyJustin Marie Jolly was a French hematologist and histologist born in Melun, Seine-et-Marne.He studied medicine at the Collège de France under Louis-Antoine Ranvier and Louis-Charles Malassez where he learned histological techniques and their correlation to other medical disciplines...
.
This DNA appears as a
basophilicBasophilic is a technical term used by histologists. It describes the microscopic appearance of cells and tissues, as seen down the microscope, after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye is haematoxylin....
(purple) spot on the otherwise
eosinophilicEosinophilic means loves eosin, and refers to the staining of certain tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye.Eosin is an acidic dye; thus, the structure being stained is basic....
(pink) erythrocyte on a standard
H and EH&E stain, HE stain or hematoxylin and eosin stain, is a popular staining method in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diagnosis; for example when a pathologist looks at a biopsy of a suspected cancer, the histological section is likely to be stained with H&E and termed H&E...
stained blood smear.
Howell-Jolly bodies are
histopathologicalHistopathology refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease...
findings of basophilic nuclear remnants (clusters of
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
) in circulating erythrocytes. During maturation in the bone marrow erythrocytes normally expel their nuclei, but in some cases a small portion of DNA remains.
It is named for
William Henry HowellWilliam Henry Howell, Ph.D., M.D., LL.D., Sc.D. was an American physiologist. He pioneered the use of heparin as a blood anti-coagulant....
and
Justin Marie JollyJustin Marie Jolly was a French hematologist and histologist born in Melun, Seine-et-Marne.He studied medicine at the Collège de France under Louis-Antoine Ranvier and Louis-Charles Malassez where he learned histological techniques and their correlation to other medical disciplines...
.
Appearance
This DNA appears as a
basophilicBasophilic is a technical term used by histologists. It describes the microscopic appearance of cells and tissues, as seen down the microscope, after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye is haematoxylin....
(purple) spot on the otherwise
eosinophilicEosinophilic means loves eosin, and refers to the staining of certain tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye.Eosin is an acidic dye; thus, the structure being stained is basic....
(pink) erythrocyte on a standard
H and EH&E stain, HE stain or hematoxylin and eosin stain, is a popular staining method in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diagnosis; for example when a pathologist looks at a biopsy of a suspected cancer, the histological section is likely to be stained with H&E and termed H&E...
stained blood smear. These inclusions are normally pitted out by the spleen during erythrocyte circulation, but will persist in individuals with functional hyposplenia or asplenia.
Causes
Common causes of asplenia are
splenectomyA splenectomy is a procedure that involves the removal of the spleen by operative means.-Indications:Indications of splenectomy can be divided into general and specific indications. For general indications, they include the following:-Procedure:...
due to trauma, and autosplenectomy caused by sickle cell anemia. 10% of patients with Coeliac disease present with splenic atrophy with subsequent Howell-Jolly bodies. Other causes are radiation therapy involving the spleen, such as that used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. Howell-Jolly bodies are also seen in:
severe
hemolytic anemiaHemolytic anemia is anemia due to hemolysis, the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells either in the blood vessels or elsewhere in the body . It has numerous possible causes, ranging from relatively harmless to life-threatening. The general classification of hemolytic anemia is either acquired or...
,
megaloblastic anemiaMegaloblastic anemia is an anemia that results from inhibition of DNA synthesis in red blood cell production. This is often due to deficiency of vitamin B and/or folic acid...
,
hereditary spherocytosisHereditary spherocytosis is a genetically-transmitted form of spherocytosis, an auto-hemolytic anemia characterized by the production of red blood cells that are sphere-shaped rather than donut-shaped, and therefore more prone to hemolysis.-Symptoms:As in non-hereditary spherocytosis, the spleen's...
, and
myelodysplastic syndromeThe myelodysplastic syndromes are a diverse collection of hematological conditions united by ineffective production of myeloid blood cells and risk of transformation to acute myelogenous leukemia . MDS has been found in humans, cats and dogs. Anemia requiring chronic blood transfusion is...
(MDS).
External links
- Howell-Jolly bodies: Presented by the University of Virginia
- http://www.academic.marist.edu/~jzmz/topics/inclusions/inclusions18.html
- http://www.brown.edu/Courses/Digital_Path/systemic_path/heme/howelljolly.html