title: Absolute CD4+ cell count using a plastic microchip and a microscopic cell counter.
abstract: We have designed and evaluated the performance of a simple, rapid, and affordable method for counting CD4(+) T-cells with the use of plastic microchips. This new system is an adaptation of a "no-lyse, no-wash," volumetric single platform assay, and absolute CD4(+) counts are determined with the use of a microscopic scanning cell counter. To assess the CD4(+) count test precision and linearity of the system, measured CD4(+) counts were compared with two other reference assays (single and dual platform flow cytometry) with the use of 123 clinical samples including samples obtained from 35 HIV-infected patients, and artificially diluted samples. A correlation between the results from the use of the new method and from the use of the two other reference assays was r = 0.98 for the clinical samples. A dilution test of the new method demonstrated a linearity of r >or= 0.99, with coefficients of variation <or=7.6% for all concentration levels. Our findings suggest that the new CD4(+) counting device can be potentially be applied for other diagnostic procedures that measure quantities of characteristic antigens or other materials on cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Graduate School of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sook Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Hae Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jun Seo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Soo-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Dae Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: In Keun
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hae Joong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Dae Sung
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Chanil
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jun Keun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: J Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Chae Seung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D046208:Microchip Analytical Procedures; D015203:Reproducibility of Results