Imaging flow cytometry reveals that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor treatment causes loss of erythroblastic islands in the mouse bone marrow

•Nine-channel imaging flow cytometry can quantitate EBIs.•Most cell aggregates co-expressing macrophage and erythroblast markers are not EBIs.•EBI central macrophages are negative for CD11b and Ly6G, but CD11b+Ly6G+ granulocytes are frequently found at the periphery of EBIs.•G-CSF treatment in vivo leads to a profound reduction in EBI frequency in the bone marrow. The erythroblastic island (EBI) is a multicellular structure forming an...