Comparison of a New, Affordable Flow Cytometric Method and the Manual Magnetic Bead Technique for CD4 T-Lymphocyte Counting in a Northern Nigerian Setting

Abstract

We compared two techniques for CD4 T-lymphocyte counting: flow cytometry (Cyflow) and magnetic beads (Dynabead). Similar results with good correlation were obtained from the 40 adult blood samples counted (P=0.057, r=0.93). The Cyflow technique is more precise and cost-effective than the Dynabead method ($3 to $5 versus $12 to $22 per test, respectively), since as many as 200 samples can be measured per day.