Detection of morphologic changes in peripheral mononuclear cells in hepatitis B virus infection using the beckman coulter LH 750.

The Beckman Coulter LH 750 with VCS technology can determine intrinsic biophysical properties of peripheral leukocytes in their "near native state." We investigated the possibility of the LH 750 to detect morphologic changes in lymphocytes/monocytes in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The VCS data from 37 active HBV patients, 140 HBV carriers, and 655 controls were analyzed. We observed significant increases in lymphocyte volume (LV) and the lymphocyte volume SD (LV-SD), and a significant decrease in lymphocyte conductivity (LC) in HBV infection, compared with controls. Similar changes in monocyte volume and conductivity were also observed. A simplified parameter, the Lymph-Index (calculated as [LV LV-SD]/LC]) is proposed. The Lymph-Index was significantly increased in HBV carriers compared with controls (13.86 ± 2.73 versus 11.83 ± 1.36; P < .001). The increase was more pronounced in patients with active HBV infection (18.84 ± 3.88 versus 11.83 ± 1.36; P < .0001). With a cutoff value of 18.2 for the Lymph-Index, a 91.7% sensitivity and a 95.7% specificity were achieved in diagnosing active HBV infection. This overall sensitivity and specificity were superior to those of the individual lymphocyte/monocyte VCS parameters. In conclusion, VCS parameters can reflect the morphologic changes of lymphocytes/monocytes in HBV infection and may be useful clinically to aid in identifying HBV infection in a population with a high HBV prevalence.