3.3 Acute myeloid leukaemia
The blood smear on Slide 4 comes from a person who has acute myeloid leukaemia. Myeloid cells are the immature form of leukocytes and would not normally be found in the blood. Usually, they would develop in the bone marrow into neutrophils, basophils or eosinophils. However, in leukaemia there is overproduction and large numbers of myeloid cells are seen in the blood.
Activity 3
Open the virtual microscope [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] in a new window or tab. Find Slide 4 in the ‘Week 1’ category.
Carry out a differential leukocyte count on the blood smear on Slide 4 from the ‘Week 1’ category within the virtual microscope. Aim to count at least 100 leukocytes.