T-lymphocyte subset analysis using the automated hematology analyser CELL-DYN 4000 for patients with hematological disorders.

We evaluated the performance of a fully-automated hematology analyser CELL-DYN 4000 (CD4000; Abbott Laboratories, CA, USA) for T-lymphocyte subset analysis using the samples from 58 patients with hematological disorders. A flow cytometer (CytoronAbsolute; Ortho Diagnostics, NJ, USA) was used for comparison. Good correlations were shown between CD4000 and CytoronAbsolute for the of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T-lymphocyte counts (for each of correlations, r = 0.992, 0.992, and 0.969, respectively). This good correlation was sustained even in 24 cases in which the CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts were less than 200/μl. In this group the correlation coefficients ( r -values) for the comparisons between CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T-lymphocytes measured by CD4000 and CytoronAbsolute were 0.991, 0.976, and 0.990, respectively. The CD4000 T-lymphocyte assay is a completely automated method, and does not require opening of the sample tube, which reduces exposure to any biohazards such as HIV. Furthermore, the method is rapid and requires only 7 min for completion of the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]