comparative study of the drumstick

ABSTRACT

The drumstick is a particular chromatin structure in the neutrophils of various mammalian females. In the present study comparison was done between drumsticks of normal 50 human females and 70 animal females of seven different groups, including cats, dogs, rabbits, albino rats, cows, buffaloes and sheeps, each group consisted of ten animals. Fresh and dried blood films were done and stained for all females. In fresh blood the drumsticks were clearly detected in neutrophils with 3-5 lobes in human and 3-7 lobes in animals. They were formed of a basophilic dense homogeneous chromatin drum, often with central sapce, and attached to one nuclear lobe by a thread-like chromatin stick. There were Only oval and round shapes in all females, and highly significant low drumstick frequency was found in human than in animals but no significant differences were present between human and animal drum diameter and stick length. In dried blood, drumsticks were present after one and two months in some neutrophils with normal nuclei, but without cell membranes. They were identical in structure and shape to those of fresh blood, its frequency could not be estimated, and slight changes occurred in their dimensions. After three months, neutrophils with normal nuclei were completely absent. Lastly it was concluded that drumstick frequency could be successfully used for identification of only fresh human female blood, while its presence is useful for sex identification