Table 1.
Overview of qualitative leukocyte morphological changes observed in blood films at initial sampling from 27 elephants with inflammatory conditions.
Fig 1.
Normal morphology of elephant leukocytes.
1: Mature heterophil, 2: Mature heterophil with Barr body in a female elephant (sex chromatin lobe), 3–4: eosinophils, 5–6: basophils, 7–8: small lymphocytes, 9: monocyte, 10–20: unique monocyte type of elephants with various stages of segmentation; note that less segmented monocytes may be misidentified as lymphocytes. 21–25: degenerative changes in leukocytes in blood films prepared 24 hr after collection, including 21: heterophil with nuclear and cytoplasmic swelling, 22: monocyte with swollen nucleus, 23–25: karyorrhexis and pyknosis in leukocytes. X100 objective. Wright Giemsa stain.
Fig 2.
Abnormal morphology of elephant leukocytes.
Legend: 1–2: Band heterophils, 3: heterophilic myelocyte, 4–6: hypersegmented heterophils, 7–16: reactive lymphocytes, 17: plasma cell, 18–25: activated monocytes with variable vacuolation. X100 objective. Wright Giemsa stain.
Fig 3.
Heterophil left-shifting and variable toxicity in elephant blood films.
1–6: Mature heterophils, 7–12: band heterophils, 13–20: heterophilic metamyelocytes, 21–25: heterophilic myelocytes. Grading of toxicity on a scale of 1+ (Doehle bodies, slight basophilia), 2+ (Doehle bodies, moderate basophilia), and 3+ (cytoplasmic foaminess (dark blue cytoplasm, Doehle bodies may or may not be visible) [4]. 1+ toxicity is present in 1, 7; 2+ toxicity is present in 2, 3, 8, 10, 13–15, 17–19, 22–24; 3+ toxicity is present in 4–6, 9, 11–12, 16, 20–21, 25. X100 objective. Wright Giemsa stain.
Fig 4.
Heterophil left-shifting and variably toxicity in an Asian elephant with gastrointestinal disease for demonstration of the size variation from concurrent secondary dysgranulopoiesis (giant cells).
X100 objective. Wright Giemsa stain.