Glycogen in basophilic leucocytes in human blood smears.

Abstract

In a recent study of the occurrence of the periodic acid-Schiff reaction in various normal cells of the blood and connective tissue by Wislocki, Rheingold and Dempsey,1 small clear red dots were observed in the pale pink cytoplasm of the basophilic leucocytes. These investigators were not able to identify the basophiles in control blood smears digested by saliva. They therefore concluded that the red stained material in the undigested smears may have been glycogen but that the “apparent finding needs further verification.” Similarly, Gibb, and Stowell2 decided that “Because myeloid cells which were free from glycogen were not observed in normal peripheral blood and bone marrow films, basophils, although not specifically identified, may also contain glycogen.”To make certain that basophils could be identified in smears digested by saliva before treatment with periodic acid and leucofuchsin, dried smears of human blood were stained in Wright's blood stain in absolute methyl alcohol for 3 minutes. This step ...