Neutrophil facts for kids
Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell, often called neutrophil granulocytes. They destroy bacteria (and other parasites like fungi) during an infection. They get to the site of an injury within minutes. They have tiny granules full of enzymes and peptides which chop up the bacteria after they have taken them in.
The process of taking in bacteria is called phagocytosis. The bacteria end up in a vacuole inside the neutrophil. The enzymes then get to work on the bacteria. Neutrophils are an important part of the body's immune system. They are a kind of granulocyte, and have a short life-span of a couple of days.
Images for kids
-
Hypersegmented neutrophil
-
Reference ranges for blood tests of white blood cells, comparing neutrophil amount (shown in pink) with that of other cells
-
Scanning electron micrograph of a neutrophil (yellow) phagocytosing anthrax bacilli (orange). Scale bar is 5 μm.
-
Micrograph showing several neutrophils during an acute inflammation
-
Neutrophils are seen in a myocardial infarction at approximately 12–24 hours, as seen in this micrograph.
-
In stroke, they are beginning to infiltrate the infarcted brain after 6 to 8 hours.
-
Blood cell lineage
See also
In Spanish: Neutrófilo para niños
