LAUSR

Postmortem histologic examination of tissue sections is challenging due to the effects of autolysis, which can complicate microscopic interpretation. A rarely seen artifact at perinatal autopsy is “mulberry-like” bodies. We recently found well-formed mulberry-like bodies in the pulmonary blood vessels of a stillborn infant. Although little is known about “mulberry-like” bodies, they are believed to represent an artifact of red blood cell autolysis, as they are generally found in macerated fetuses. They have not been associated with any pathological event. “Mulberry-like” bodies appear as cohesive clusters of medium-sized anucleated cells with basophilic cell borders and vacuolated cytoplasm, in a background of red blood cells (Figures 1 and 2).