Auer rod
Auer rods (or Auer bodies) are large, crystalline cytoplasmic inclusion bodies sometimes observed in myeloid blast cells during acute myeloid leukemia, acute promyelocytic leukemia, high-grade myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative disorders. Composed of fused lysosomes and rich in lysosomal enzymes, Auer rods are azurophilic and can resemble needles, commas, diamonds, rectangles, corkscrews, or (rarely) granules.[1]
Eponym
Although Auer rods are named for American physiologist John Auer,[2] they were first described in 1905 by Canadian physician Thomas McCrae, then at Johns Hopkins Hospital,[3] as Auer himself acknowledged in his 1906 paper. Both McCrae and Auer mistakenly thought that the cells containing the rods were lymphoblasts.[4]
Additional images
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Bone marrow aspirate showing acute myeloid leukemia with Auer rods in several blasts
References
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External links
- Image at NIH/MedlinePlus
- Slides at wadsworth.org
- Image at University of Utah
Template:Abnormal clinical and laboratory findings for blood