Cell of the Week

The Humble Neutrophil

The humble neutrophil often gets overlooked for more 'exciting' cells such as the promyelocyte but it plays such an important role in fighting infection. They're one of the first cells to respond and they can travel rapidly to the site of infection where they phagocytose and destroy microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi by the release of enzymes. An increase in the absolute neutrophil count (neutrophilia) above the reference range for the patient (remember to consider age, ethnic origin and pregnancy) can be seen in a number of conditions such as infection where we might see morphological changes such as toxic granulation or Döhle bodies, and in cases of inflammation for example vasculitis. We might also see increases where there has been tissue damage - in trauma, or following surgical interventions. The neutrophil count can increase where there is physical or emotional stress including vigorous exercise, in smoking, and certain medications such as glucocorticoids