when comparing the blood smears of patients with intact spleens to those of patients without spleens, the blood smears of patients without spleens will likely reveal?

a) many more fragile and old erythrocytes, b) many more lymphocytes and monocytes; c) many more bacteria, d) less red blood cells

The spleen serves to filter out old erythrocytes and bad bateria, so after a splenectomy, both a) and c) are likely to happen, in addition to increased platelets (thrombocytosis) for about two weeks, which increases the risk of dangerous blood clots.

Ref:http://www.ehow.com/about_5314047_side-effects-spleen-removal.html

To answer the question about what the blood smears of patients without spleens will likely reveal, we need to understand the role of the spleen in the body.

The spleen is an important organ in the immune system. It acts as a reservoir for red blood cells, filters the blood, and removes old or damaged blood cells, including red blood cells. Therefore, when comparing the blood smears of patients with intact spleens to those without spleens, we would expect to see certain changes.

The correct answer is d) less red blood cells. Without a spleen, there is no organ to remove old or damaged red blood cells from circulation. As a result, the blood smears of patients without spleens are likely to have a higher number of fragile and old erythrocytes (a) because the spleen removes these cells under normal circumstances.

Option b) many more lymphocytes and monocytes is less likely as the presence or absence of the spleen does not directly affect the number of lymphocytes or monocytes in the blood.

Option c) many more bacteria is also less likely because the role of the spleen is not primarily focused on bacterial clearance, although it does play a role in filtering the blood for any pathogens.

So, the correct answer is d) less red blood cells, as the absence of a spleen would result in fewer removal of old and damaged red blood cells, leading to their accumulation in the blood smear.