An African-American middle-aged HIV-positive woman with pancytopenia and clinical septicemia had a bone marrow examination. The marrow contained numerous macrophages resembling Gaucher cells, one of which is shown. A marrow stain for AFB identified organisms (Mycobacteria avium-intracellulare) within these macrophages (pseudo-Gaucher cells). This cause of pseudo-Gaucher cells has been described by R. Garza Guajardo, O. Barboza Quintana, and P. Perez Padilla (Diagn Cytopathol. 1998;19:462-464). This smear was provided by Dr Neil Abramson (Baptist Cancer Institute, Jacksonville, FL).FIG1 

Neil Abramson, Baptist Cancer Institute

Neil Abramson, Baptist Cancer Institute

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