#00064402

Peripheral blood smear of a newborn diagnosed with ABO incompatibility and positive direct coombs test shows increased spherocytes and microspherocytes. Spherocyte formation occurs due to a partial loss of the red blood cell membrane leading to a decrease in the surface to volume ratio of the red blood cell.

Conditions associated with spherocytosis include hereditary spherocytosis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, drug -induced immune hemolytic anemia, allo-immune-mediated hemolysis (transfusion reactions, hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn), glucose-6-phosphate (G6PD) deficiency, transfused cells or severe burns.