title: Cytoplasmic inclusions and virus-like particles in blast cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Cytoplasmic inclusions and virus-like particles are described in blast cells of peripheral blood from a 16-year-old female with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Three kinds of inclusions were identified on electron microscopy. The first type of inclusion was single membrane-bounded vacuoles, some of which contained virus-like particles, the second was lysosome-like structures, and the third appeared to be of mitochondrial origin. Virus-like particles were round in shape and had a diameter of 26 to 58 nm. They consisted of an electron-dense outer membrane and an electron-lucent core. At the present time the exact nature and significance of these virus-like particles still remain unclear.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*