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Peripheral Blood with Bite Cells

Peripheral Blood with Bite Cells
#00061505
Author: Vincent Cracolici, MD; Girish Venkataraman, MD
Category: Lymphoma: Mature B-cell and Plasma cell Neoplasms > Plasma Cell Neoplasm > Plasma cell myeloma
Published Date: 06/28/2018

Photomicrograph of a peripheral blood smear with prominent bite cells. Bite cells, or “degmacytes”, are erythrocytes with an irregular membrane which result from splenic macrophage-mediated removal of denatured hemoglobin molecules. Bite cells are commonly identified in glucose-6-phostphate dehydrogenase deficiency. This patient had borderline G6PD deficiency with hemolysis precipitated by rasburicase during treatment of myeloma.