Erythrocyte rosetting

Erythrocyte rosetting (or E-rosetting) is a phenomenon that can be seen through a microscope: it consists of cells arranging themselves around a central cell so that the entire cluster looks more or less like a flower with the central cell surrounded by the other "petal" cells. It occurs because of immunologic reactions, usually to molecules on the center cell. In "E-rosetting", the "petal" cells are erythrocytes. The presence of e-rosetting can be used as a test for T-cells (though there are more modern tests available).