Question

You are looking at a blood smear from a patient with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and you see acanthocytes. What do you surmise has happened?

1) The Kx antigen is missing from chromosome X
2) The Kx antigen is present on chromosome X
3) White blood cells are engulfing red blood cells and destroying them
4) White blood cells are engulfing bacteria and destroying them

Answer 1

Acanthocytes in a patient with CGD are not indicative of any of the provided options, as CGD is related to defective phagocytic cells' capacity to kill bacteria, not directly tied to red blood cell changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Observing acanthocytes in a blood smear from a patient with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) does not directly correlate with the four options provided. Acanthocytes, which are red blood cells with spiked membranes, may arise due to various conditions, not specifically linked to CGD. Chronic granulomatous disease is tied to defects in the NADPH oxidase system in phagocytic cells, such as neutrophils and macrophages, leading to reduced capacity to kill and digest ingested bacteria. Therefore, the mention of Kx antigen or white blood cells actively engulfing bacteria or red blood cells is not relevant to the presence of acanthocytes in CGD. In fact, none of the options directly explains acanthocyte presence in a CGD patient's blood smear.