
1Laboratory of Microbiology, “Vito Fazzi” Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
2Laboratory of Pathology, “Vito Fazzi” Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
Bacterial phagocytosis is a multistep process involving recognition, attachment, engulfment, and degradation of pathogens. Neutrophils express a large array of receptors (such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), NOD-like receptors (NLRs), and Dectin-1) that directly recognize microbes. Neutrophil phagocytic mechanisms include Fc-γ receptor-mediated pseudopod extension, in which the neutrophil envelops IgG opsonized targets, and the complement receptor-mediated mechanism, during which targets appear to be engulfed by the phagocyte.
We show neutrophil phagocytosis in a 40-year-old man with an ascending aortic aneurysm. A peripheral blood smear of the patient showed a WBC count of 19.2×109/L with marked neutrophilia of 18.14×109/L, C-reactive protein concentration of 44.1 mg/L, and fever of 38.5℃. Later, blood cultures confirmed the findings, revealing bacteremia caused by