Döhle bodies are light blue-gray, oval, basophilic

Basophilic

Basophilic is a technical term used by histologists. It describes the microscopic appearance of cells and tissues, as seen down the microscope, after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye is haematoxylin....

, leukocyte inclusions located in the peripheral cytoplasm

Cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is a small gel-like substance residing between the cell membrane holding all the cell's internal sub-structures , except for the nucleus. All the contents of the cells of prokaryote organisms are contained within the cytoplasm...

 of neutrophils. They measure 1-3 µm in diameter. Not much is known about their formation, but are thought to be remnants of the rough endoplasmic reticulum.

They are named after German pathologist, Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle

Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle

Karl Gottfried Paul Döhle was a German pathologist who was a native of Mühlhausen.He was a student at Tübingen, Leipzig, Strassburg and Kiel, where he received his doctorate in 1882. Afterwards he was an assistant at the pathological institute in Kiel, and in 1908 was appointed head of the...

 (1855-1928).

They often present in conjunction with toxic granulation

Toxic granulation

Toxic granulation refers to changes in granulocyte cells seen on examination of the peripheral blood film of patients with inflammatory conditions. They are commonly found in patients with sepsis. Toxic granulations are dark coarse granules found in granulocytes, particularly neutrophils...

.

Associated conditions

They are seen in:

• Burns
  Burn (injury)
  A burn is a type of injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation or friction. Most burns affect only the skin . Rarely, deeper tissues, such as muscle, bone, and blood vessels can also be injured...
  
  
• Infections
• Physical trauma
  Physical trauma
  Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...
  
  
• Neoplastic diseases
• Wissler’s disease
• May-Hegglin anomaly
• Chédiak-Steinbrinck-Higashi’s syndrome
  Chédiak-Higashi syndrome
  Chédiak–Higashi syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that arises from a microtubule polymerization defect which leads to a decrease in phagocytosis. The decrease in phagocytosis results in recurrent pyogenic infections, partial albinism and peripheral neuropathy...
  
  

Pathophysiology

The presence of Döhle bodies in mature and immature neutrophils on a blood smear can be normal if they are present only in small numbers. They are also normally more abundant in cats and horses. Döhle bodies are intra-cytoplasmic structures composed of agglutinated ribosomes; they will increase in number with inflammation and increased granulocytopoiesis. If there are many neutrophils in the bloodstream containing Döhle bodies, these can be referred to as toxic neutrophils. Toxic neutrophils can also correspond to neutrophils that possess a more basophilic cytoplasm, basophilic granulation (infrequently observed), or cytoplasmic vacuoles in addition to one of the preceding cytoplasmic changes. Döhle bodies, cytoplasmic basophilia and cytoplasmic granulation all reflect "defects" in cell production and maturation during active granulocytopoiesis. Just like a left shift, the presence of toxic neutrophils suggests increased granulocytopoiesis. However, in a freshly prepared blood smear, the presence of vacuolation in addition to toxic neutrophils, reflects endotoxemia resulting in autolysis of neutrophils. This autodigestion is responsible for the cytoplasmic vacuolation. It is the single toxic change that does not result from the "manufacturing" process.