Döhle bodies are light blue-gray, oval, basophilic,

leukocyte White blood cells (scientific name leukocytes), also called immune cells or immunocytes, are cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign entities. White blood cells are genera ...

inclusions located in the peripheral

cytoplasm The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell a ...

neutrophil Neutrophils are a type of phagocytic white blood cell and part of innate immunity. More specifically, they form the most abundant type of granulocytes and make up 40% to 70% of all white blood cells in humans. Their functions vary in differe ...

s. They measure 1–3 μm in diameter. Not much is known about their formation, but they are thought to be remnants of the

rough endoplasmic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a part of a transportation system of the eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. The word endoplasmic means "within the cytoplasm", and reticulum is Latin for "little n ...

. They are named after German

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle (6 June 1855 – 7 December 1928) was a German pathologist who was a native of Mühlhausen. He was a student at Tübingen, Leipzig, Strassburg and Kiel, where he received his doctorate in 1882. Afterwards he was an ...

(1855–1928). They are often present in conjunction with toxic granulation. However, it has been found that certain healthy individuals may have persistent Döhle bodies found in neutrophils. __TOC__

Associated conditions

They are seen in: *

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

s *

Infection An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

Physical trauma Injury is physiology, physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether Injury in humans, in humans, Injury in animals, in other animals, or Injury in plants, in plants. Injuries can be caused in many ways, including mechanic ...

Neoplastic A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

diseases *

Fanconi syndrome Fanconi syndrome or Fanconi's syndrome (, ) is a syndrome of inadequate reabsorption in the proximal renal tubules of the kidney. The syndrome can be caused by various underlying congenital or acquired diseases, by toxicity (for example, from t ...

* May–Hegglin anomaly * Chédiak–Steinbrinck–Rayer-Buchanan-Higashi's syndrome * Leukemoid reaction

Pathophysiology

The presence of Döhle bodies in mature and immature neutrophils on a blood smear can be normal if they are present only in small numbers. They are also normally more abundant in cats and horses. Döhle bodies are intra-cytoplasmic structures thought to be composed of endoplasmic reticulum material; they will increase in number with inflammation and increased granulocytopoiesis. If there are many neutrophils in the bloodstream containing Döhle bodies, these can be referred to as toxic neutrophils. Toxic neutrophils can also correspond to neutrophils that possess a more basophilic cytoplasm, basophilic granulation (infrequently observed), or cytoplasmic vacuoles in addition to one of the preceding cytoplasmic changes. Döhle bodies, cytoplasmic basophilia and cytoplasmic granulation all reflect "defects" in cell production and maturation during active granulocytopoiesis. Just like a left shift, the presence of toxic neutrophils suggests increased granulocytopoiesis. However, in a freshly prepared blood smear, the presence of vacuolation in addition to toxic neutrophils reflects endotoxemia resulting in autolysis of neutrophils. This autodigestion is responsible for the cytoplasmic vacuolation. It is the single toxic change that does not result from the "manufacturing" process.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dohle Bodies Histopathology Abnormal clinical and laboratory findings for blood