Serology for automated cytotoxicity testing. II. Routine reading of HLA-typing using the Contrast Fluorescence Test.

We have previously reported on the "Contrast Fluorescence Test" (CFT), a method for the fluorimetric of living vs dead lymphocytes and have proposed its use in automated HLA typing. In this report, we present data obtained with the CFT in the evaluation of an automated system built around the Zonax instrument (Zeiss America, Inc.). 13,664 individual CFT results were read by the machine and compared with manual readings; assignment of HLA specificity was done independently but using the same logic by hand and by machine. Excellent correlation of the instrumented and manual serological readings and identical antigen assignments were observed.