Urinalysis Case Study - Decoy Cells
Urinalysis Case Study - Decoy Cells
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What are Decoy Cells?
Decoy cells are urothelial and renal tubular epithelial cells that are infected with BK polyomavirus. These cells may be seen in patients on immunosuppressive drugs following renal transplant.
BK virus is a common, widespread virus that infects most people in childhood. After initial infection, the virus remains dormant in the tissues and may become active again in immunosuppressed patients. The BK virus is known to possibly result in interstitial nephritis, thus creating damage to the patient’s kidneys. Therefore, the clinician needs to carefully adjust the dose of immunosuppressants to match the patient’s infection status.
Morphology/Features:
- Enlarged, sometimes eccentrically placed nuclei with high N:C ratio
- Ground-glass intranuclear inclusion
- Sometimes mistaken for malignant cells,hence the name “decoy cells”
Resources:
https://www.kidney.org
UF-Series Clinical Case Study Volume 2, Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan.
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