In a blood smear from a 3 year old cat with an abdominal effusion and pyogranulomatous inflammation in a lymph node aspirate from an enlarged mesenteric lymph node, several macrophage variants of histiocytes were seen. The histiocytes were phagocytic of erythrocytes (shown here), leukocytes (see feline blood image gallery in the Atlas) and platelets (see same image gallery (modified Wright’s stain, 100x objective). The erythrophagia was attributed to activated macrophages and would result in increased red blood cell turnover (hemolytic anemia). The cat was anemic.
