Coulter counter identifies Cryptococcus neoformans as leukocytes. A case of pseudopleocytosis.
Cerebrospinal fluid from a 42-year-old man with acquired immune deficiency syndrome was processed in a Coulter S-plus counter and found to contain "4.8 x 10(9) leukocytes/L:56.1% granulocytes and 37.7% lymphocytes." Direct examination of the same specimen in a counting chamber revealed that the leukocytes were cells of Cryptococcus neoformans. Coulter analysis of cerebrospinal fluid may be inappropriate, particularly when yeast infection is a probable diagnosis.
Berger
S A
SA
Department of Microbiology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel.
Waitman
D A
DA
Baruch
R
R
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000328:Adult; D001772:Blood Cell Count / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology