Significance of the target cell (leptocyte) in peripheral blood smears of the Gold Coast African

The target cell is commonly found in the peripheral blood smears of the Gold Coast African in numbers greater than 4 per cent. The target cell does not appear to be a hereditary anomaly of the red blood cell in sickle-cell anaemia. The target cell is probably formed in the peripheral circulation and is probably due to an alteration in the constituents of the plasma proteins.