Microsoft Word - AHA069BF

P.C. Sen Gupta, S.P. Ghosal, A.K. Mukherjee, T.R. Maity, Departments of Pathology and Paediatrics, Institute of Child Health, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, 11 ‚ Dr. Biresh Guha Street, Calcutta 700017 (India) A few investigations were carried out following the observation of yellow rhomboidal crystals within neutrophiis in a severely jaundiced 2-month-old infant suffering from Pseudomonas septicaemia. The results are briefly reported below. Of 42 neonates and infants with very high serum unconjugated bilirubin (UCB 21.1. ± 5.08 mg/dl), 36 showed these crystals in the neutrophiis. 14 children and adults with jaundice (UCB 3.29 ± 1.96 mg/dl) did not show such crystal formation. In all the cases blood samples collected in EDTA vials were used for preparing thin and buffy coat smears that were stained by using Leishman’s stain (fig. 1). Direct smears of blood from the cases with high UCB and smears from different vials containing he-parin, double oxalate, and citrate and from defibri-nated blood did not show any crystals in neutrophiis. These were only seen in blood samples with high UCB that were collected in EDTA vials and allowed to stand for over 30 min. The yellow crystals were seen in about 20-30% of the neutrophiis, and the number varied from 2 to 10 per cell. They measured 3.5 × 1.5 μm on an average. Fig. l.a Thin smear (Leishman) showing two crystals in a neutrophil. b Same field in polarized light: bright birefringent rhomboids. × 1,200. 70 Correspondence