Correlation between hematopoietic progenitors and erythroblasts in cord blood

Erythroid and granulocyte-monocyte progenitors in cord blood were studied, using the methyl cellulose assay. The mean number of progenitors was 12-16 times higher than that of normal adult blood. The number of both erythroid and granulocyte-monocyte progenitors correlated positively with the number of erythroblasts present in cord blood. The possible origin of hematopoietic progenitors in cord blood was discussed.