70  Chapter 5

Table 5.1  Morphologic Characteristics of Erythroid Precursors

Cell Type (% of nucle- Cytoplasmic Nuclear
Image (Wright stain) Size N/C Ratio
ated cells in BM) Characteristics Characteristics
Pronormoblast (1%) 20-25 mcM High (8:1) Small to moderate 1–3 faint nucleoli;
amount of deep blue reddish purple
cytoplasm; pale area color; homo-
next to nucleus may be geneous, lacy
seen chromatin

Basophilic normoblast 16-18 mcM Moderate (6:1) Deep blue-purple color; Indistinct nucleoli;
(1–3%) occasionally small coarsening chro-
patches of pink; irregu- matin; deep pur-
lar cell borders can be plish-blue color
present; perinuclear halo
can be apparent

Polychromatophilic nor- 12-15 mcM Low (4:1) Abundant; gray-blue Chromatin

moblast (13–30%) color irregular and
coarsely clumped,
eccentric

Orthochromic normoblast 10-15 mcM Low (1:2) Pink-salmon color; can Small; dense;
(1–4%) have varying degrees of pyknotic; round
basophilia or bizarre shape;
eccentric

Reticulocyte (new methy- 7-10 mcM — Punctate purplish-blue No nucleus

lene blue stain) inclusions

Polychromatophilic Polychromatophilic (dif- No nucleus

erythrocytes fusely basophilic)

Mature RBC 7-8 mcM — Salmon color No nucleus

Note: Wright-Giemsa stain except where noted for reticulocyte