morular cell

morular cell

A spherical to ovoid variant plasma cell, measuring 12–20 µm in diameter, which contains an eccentric hyperchromatic nucleus and cytoplasm, replete with 1–3-µm diameter acidophilic globules (Russell bodies) filled with immunoglobulins and neurofibrillary material. When cytoplasmic contour is smooth, they are called morular cells; when the globules cause superficial bosselations, they are called mulberry cells, a distinction of uncertain value.
Aetiology
Morular cells are classically seen in the brains of patients with Western African sleeping sickness (Agent: Trypanosoma brucei gambiense; Vector: Tsetse fly), but may also occur in T brucei rhodesiense infections.