What are leukocytes?

Leukocytes are a group of specialized cells and part of the body’s immune system. Another name for a leukocyte is white blood cell (WBC). Immune cells are responsible for protecting our body from infections and for helping us heal after an injury.

It is normal for a pathologist to see these types of cells under the microscope in both normal tissue and after an injury or during an infection. Lots of these cells in a tissue at the same time can cause inflammation.

Routine blood tests count the number of white blood cells in your blood. Infection, injury, and physical stress can also cause the number of white blood cells in your blood to increase.

Types of leukocytes

• Lymphocytes
• Plasma cells
• Neutrophils
• Eosinophils
• Histiocytes
• Macrophages
• Natural killer cells