What is "acanthocyte"

n. (context hematology English) An erythrocyte that has a spiny appearance.

n. an abnormal red blood cell that has thorny projections of protoplasm

Acanthocyte (from the Greek word ἄκανθα acantha, meaning 'thorn'), in biology and medicine, refers to a form of red blood cell that has a spiked cell membrane, due to abnormal thorny projections. A similar term is spur cells. Often they may be confused with echinocytes or schistocytes.

Acanthocytes have coarse, irregularly spaced, variably sized crenations, resembling many-pointed stars. They are seen on blood films in, among others abetalipoproteinemia, liver disease, chorea acanthocytosis, McLeod syndrome, and several inherited neurological disorders, such as neuroacanthocytosis, anorexia nervosa, infantile pyknocytosis, hypothyroidism, idiopathic neonatal hepatitis, alcoholism, congestive splenomegaly, Zieve syndrome, and chronic granulomatous disease.

Acanthocyte can refer to:

• Acanthocyte (blood)
• Acanthocyte (mycology)

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In mycology, acanthocyte refers to stellate cells found on the hyphae of fungi of the genus Stropharia. Recent work, published in 2006, on those of Stropharia rugosoannulata has shown them to have nematode-killing properties.