Basophilic stippling of red cells in lead poisoning
Basophilic stippling of red cells in lead poisoning
Peripheral blood smear shows basophilic stippling in several red cells from a patient with lead poisoning. The granules represent ribosomal precipitates. Other causes of basophilic stippling include:
Thalassemia
Megaloblastic anemia
Sickle cell disease
Sideroblastic anemia
Heavy alcohol use
Lead and other heavy metal poisoning
Pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase (P5N) deficiency
Courtesy of Carola von Kapff, SH (ASCP).
Graphic 71989 Version 5.0
Normal peripheral blood smear
High-power view of a normal peripheral blood smear. Several platelets (arrowheads) and a normal lymphocyte (arrow) can also be seen. The red cells are of relatively uniform size and shape. The diameter of the normal red cell should approximate that of the nucleus of the small lymphocyte; central pallor (dashed arrow) should equal one-third of its diameter.