A nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) is, simply put, a red blood cell that contains a nucleus.
Understanding Nucleated Red Blood Cells
Here's a breakdown of what that means, drawing from the provided reference:
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Definition: A nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) is a red blood cell that contains a cell nucleus.
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Occurrence in Vertebrates: Almost all vertebrate organisms have hemoglobin-containing cells in their blood.
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Mammalian Exception: With the exception of mammals, all of these red blood cells are nucleated. This means that in most animals, having a nucleus in red blood cells is normal, while in mammals (including humans), it's usually an indication of a problem.
Essentially, while most vertebrate red blood cells do have a nucleus, mature mammalian red blood cells do not. The presence of nucleated red blood cells in a human blood sample is often a sign of bone marrow stress or disease.
