Original Paper

Investigation of Ethnic Neutropenia by Assessment of Bone Marrow Colony-Forming Cells
Katy Rezvani^a, Adrienne M. Flanagan^b, Usha Sarma^b, Niculae Constantinovici^c, Barbara J. Bain^a

Departments of
^aHaematology and
^bHistopathology, St. Mary's Hospital Campus of Imperial College School of Medicine, London, and the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK

Address of Corresponding Author

Acta Haematol 2001;105:32-37 (DOI: 10.1159/000046530)

  Key Words

• Bone marrow colony-forming cells
• Ethnic neutropenia

  Abstract

Healthy individuals with African ancestry have lower neutrophil counts than Caucasians. It has previously been postulated that this was consequent on either a diminished bone marrow granulocyte reserve or an altered distribution of neutrophils between the circulating and marginated granulocyte pools. Recent indirect evidence supports the former hypothesis. In this study we have compared the number of granulocyte plus granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFUs) in the bone marrow of healthy African and Afro-Caribbean subjects with the number of CFUs in the bone marrow of healthy age and sex-matched Caucasians. We found the group with African ancestry to have significantly fewer CFUs than the Caucasian group. There was no evidence of any qualitative difference between the CFUs of the two ethnic groups: they showed similar sensitivity to granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor and similar enhancement of growth when cultured with a larger range of cytokines. These observations suggest that ethnic neutropenia observed in those with African ancestry is likely to result from reduced numbers of bone marrow progenitor cells in comparison with numbers present in Caucasians.

Copyright © 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. B.J. Bain
Department of Haematology, St. Mary's Hospital
Praed Street
London W2 1NY (UK)
E-Mail b.bain@ic.ac.uk

  Article Information

Received: Received: October 27, 2000
Accepted: November 17, 2000
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 4, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 17