Have a Howell Jolly December!

It's the holidays, so it's officially that time of year...

...to wish you a Howell Jolly December!

Howell Jolly bodies are RBC nuclear fragments. They are round, dense, blue circles inside the RBC. 

It is important not to confuse these with RBC parasites! 

Howell Jolly bodies are often seen in increased numbers with regenerative anemia. However, they can also be seen in association with splenic disease, corticosteroid administration, and erythroid dysplasia (or in low numbers in normal animals).