title: The cellular blood picture of the Mongolian gerbil throughout the first year of life: a longitudinal study.
abstract: The Mongolian gerbil was subjected to a longitudinal study of its cellular blood picture throughout its first year of life. This laboratory rodent initiates its neonatal period with an erythrocytic macrocytosis, a subadult red cell count and panleukocytosis, followed by a transient leukopenia. The adult blood picture is attained by 8 weeks with an erythrocyte count of 8.5--9.0 X 10(6) rbc/mm3 and a leukocyte level of 10--12 X 10(3) cells/mm3. The erythrocytes are microcytic (approximately 53 mu3) and frequently demonstrate polychromasia as well as basophilic stippling. There is a sexual dimorphism favoring the male in the erythrocyte corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, hematocrit and hemoglobin values.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001773:Blood Cells; D004911:Erythrocyte Volume; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male