부산대학교 도서관

Objective:To compare the Panleucogating PLG protocol with the routinely used fourcolor protocol for CD4T cell count enumeration.Design and Methods:One hundred fiftythree blood samples were randomly selected from samples received at the National HIV Laboratory for routine immunological monitoring. Samples were prepared using Coulter CYTOSTAT® tetraCHROME monoclonal antibodies and FlowCARE™ PLG CD4 reagent for fourcolor and PLG, respectively, and analyzed on the Beckman Coulter EPICS XL flow cytometer. The PLG protocol used a sequential gating strategy where CD4T cells were identified using side scatter properties of cells and CD45 staining. The fourcolor protocol used CD45 and CD3 to identify CD4T cells.Results:Absolute CD4T cell counts and percentages ranged from 4 to 1,285 cellsμL and 0.9 to 46.7, respectively. Linear regression analyses revealed good correlation of PLG with the fourcolor protocol absolute counts, R2 0.95; percentages, R2 0.98 over the entire range including the clinically relevant range. Bland Altman statistics revealed no bias for CD4 counts <500 cellsμL and a slight underestimation by PLG for counts >500 cellsμL Bias −32.7 cellsμL; 95 agreement limits −151.3− 86.0. CD4T cell percentages were the similar over the entire range Bias 0.6; 95 agreement limits −1.97 ± 3.18.Conclusions:PLG is an accurate method for enumerating CD4T cells and has resulted in major cost savings to the Government of Barbados. This has implications for the sustainability of the National HIV containment program in Barbados and the other resource limited Caribbean countries. The PLG technique is now being routinely used in Barbados. © 2008 Clinical Cytometry Society