Reticulocyte count

Reticulocyte
Reticulocytes
Erythrocytes (mature cells)
Details
Gives rise to	Red blood cells
Location	Bone marrow (most), blood (some)
Identifiers
Latin	reticulocytus
MeSH	D012156
TH	H2.00.04.1.01007
Anatomical terms of microanatomy []

Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells, typically composing about 1% of the red blood cells in the human body. In the process of erythropoiesis (red blood cell formation), reticulocytes develop and mature in the bone marrow and then circulate for about a day in the blood stream before developing into mature red blood cells. Like mature red blood cells, in mammals reticulocytes do not have a cell nucleus. They are called reticulocytes because of a reticular (mesh-like) network of ribosomal RNA that becomes visible under a microscope with certain stains such as new methylene blue and Romanowsky stain.

To accurately measure reticulocyte counts, automated counters use a combination of laser excitation, detectors and a fluorescent dye that marks RNA and DNA (such as titan yellow or polymethine). Reticulocytes can be distinguished from other circulating cells because they emit a signal that is neither strong (like lymphocytes) nor weak (like red blood cells).

Reticulocytes appear slightly bluer than other red cells when looked at with the normal Romanowsky stain. Reticulocytes are also relatively large, a characteristic that is described by the mean corpuscular volume.

The normal fraction of reticulocytes in the blood depends on the clinical situation but is usually 0.5% to 2.5% in adults and 2% to 6% in infants. A reticulocyte percentage that is higher than "normal" can be a sign of anemia, but this depends on the health of a person's bone marrow. Calculating the reticulocyte production index is an important step in understanding whether or not the reticulocyte count is appropriate to the situation. This is often a more important question than whether the percentage is in the normal range; for instance, if someone is anemic but has a reticulocyte percentage of only 1%, the bone marrow is likely not producing new blood cells at a rate that will correct the anemia.