Review article

https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2015.030

Platelet satellitism in infectious disease?

Valentina Vidranski orcid.org/0000-0003-2938-379X ; Department for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, University Clinical Hospital Centre Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia
Renata Laskaj ; Department for Medical Biochemistry, Diagnostic Hematology and Cytology, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases Dr. Fran Mihaljevic, Zagreb, Croatia
Dubravka Sikiric ; Department for Medical Biochemistry, Diagnostic Hematology and Cytology, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases Dr. Fran Mihaljevic, Zagreb, Croatia
Visnja Skerk ; Clinical Department for Urinary Tract Infections, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases Dr. Fran Mihaljevic, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Background: Platelet satellitism is a phenomenon of unknown etiology of aggregating platelets around polymorphonuclear neutrophils and other blood cells which causes pseudothrombocytopenia, visible by microscopic examination of blood smears. It has been observed so far in about a hundred cases in the world.
Case subject and methods: Our case involves a 73-year-old female patient with a urinary infection. Biochemical serum analysis (CRP, glucose, AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, bilirubin, sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, creatinine) and blood cell count were performed with standard methods on autoanalyzers. Serum protein fractions were examined by electrophoresis and urinalysis with standard methods on autoanalyzer together with microscopic examination of urine sediment. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, blood culture and urine culture tests were performed with standard methods.
Results: Due to typical pathological values for bacterial urinary infection, the patient was admitted to the hospital. Blood smear examination revealed phenomenon, which has persisted for three weeks after the disease has been cured. Blood smears with EDTA as an anticoagulant had platelet satellitism whereas the phenomenon was not observed in tubes with different anticoagulants (Na, Li-heparin) and capillary blood.
Discussion: We hypothesize that satellitism was induced by some immunological mechanism through formation of antibodies which have mediated platelets binding to neutrophil membranes and vice versa. Unfortunately we were unable to determine the putative trigger for this phenomenon. To our knowledge this is the second case of platelet satellitism ever described in Croatia

Keywords

blood platelets; thrombocytopenia; EDTA; urinary infection

Hrčak ID:

139864

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/139864

Publication date:

15.6.2015.

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