Which statement is NOT consistent with toxic granulation of neutrophils?

Toxic granulation in neutrophils is a phenomenon typically observed in response to severe infections, inflammation, or stress. It refers to the presence of larger and darker granules in the cytoplasm of neutrophils, indicating increased metabolic activity and granule production.

When examining the characteristics associated with toxic granulation, hypersegmentation of neutrophils generally does not occur simultaneously. Hypersegmentation is more commonly associated with megaloblastic anemias and is identified by neutrophils having five or more nuclear lobes. In contrast, toxic granulation often presents with neutrophils that are less mature than those showing hypersegmentation, as toxic granulation suggests an active response to an acute process rather than a delayed or impaired maturation which hypersegmentation indicates.

On the other hand, toxic granulation can indeed coexist with Dohle bodies—these are small, light blue cytoplasmic inclusions that can appear during stress conditions. A shift to the left refers to an increase in immature neutrophil forms, which also correlates with the activation process seen in toxic granulation. Additionally, vacuolization of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) can occur concurrently with toxic granulation, reflecting elevated cellular activity and metabolic