Sysmex-XN 20 Analyser to Assess Lymphocyte Subsets and Other Haematological Parameters in Chronic/Acute Viral Infections

The XN-20, is a full blood count (FBC) analyser with an extended differential counting and flagging System. The XN-Series' individual channels allow real-time reflex analysis, and uses a two stage process to classify the white blood count (WBC) sub-populations and detect the presence of abnormal reactive and malignant cells. In regards to lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, the machine has the capacity to distinguish activated from non-activated T-cell subsets using a very small volume of EDTA sample (88uL) (including remnant sample from a standard full blood count) with results available in 1.5 minutes. It is a fully automated process and can be considered as an alternative rapid flow cytometry method. Objective of the SASA study: to investigate the signal pattern of white blood cells assessed using the XN-20 full blood count platform in patients with untreated viral infections i.e. HIV, HCV and HBV. The data from the analysis will be reviewed in conjunction with patient's demographic and clinical disease characteristics with the aim of detecting characteristic cell populations that can be used in the development of system flags for future studies.