Use of dried whole blood spots to measure CD4+ lymphocyte counts in HIV-1-infected patients.
As antiretroviral drugs become widely available in developing countries, practical, field-friendly, and cheap methods of measuring CD4+ lymphocyte counts need to be developed. We tested use of whole blood spots dried on filter paper to measure CD4+ lymphocyte counts. We obtained blood from 42 HIV-1-infected patients from Zambia. We dried blood spots on filter paper and measured CD4+ lymphocyte counts with an established commercial enzyme immunoassay. We compared these measurements with those obtained from matched liquid whole-blood samples analysed with standard flow cytometry. Results of the filter-paper method accorded well with flow cytometry CD4 counts greater than 200 cells/microL (mean difference 13.6 [SD 52.4]). Dried whole blood stored on filter paper could be developed into a field-friendly alternative for CD4+ lymphocyte count measurements.
Mwaba
Peter
P
UNZA-UCLMS (University of Zambia-University College London Medical School) Research and Training Project, University Teaching Hospital, School of Medicine, Box 50110, Lusaka, Zambia.
Cassol
Sharon
S
Pilon
Rick
R
Chintu
Chifumbe
C
Janes
Michelle
M
Nunn
Andrew
A
Zumla
Alimuddin
A
D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D015024:Zambia
D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic