LAUSR

BACKGROUND Reticulocyte count (RET) has been used for many years to estimate the erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow. Fully automated methods not only provide enhanced precision and accuracy, but also enable reliable measurements of mRNA content and cellular indices. However, problems still exist, such as interference. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interferents of Sysmex XN 9000 reticulocyte analysis and ensure the accuracy of the results. METHODS We collected a total of 510 specimens from normal control patients and patients with various diseases including anemias, leukemias, infectious diseases, immune diseases, kidney disease, etc. Correlation of the agreement for reticulocytes between the new methylene blue (NMB) visual microscopy method and automated reticulocyte counting was evaluated by paired sample method according to the CLSI-ICSH document H44-A2-Methods for Reticulocyte Count. Blood smear microscopic examination was carried out on the disturbed samples, and the interferents were analyzed with the medical history, flagging algorithms, the warning information, and the microscopic examination. RESULTS A total of 44 (8.6%) cases exhibited interference. The main interferents of spuriously high reticulocyte count were caused by parasites, such as malaria, as well as suspicious autofluorescence due to drugs, while the main interferents of spuriously low reticulocyte count were caused by RBC fragments. CONCLUSIONS Detection of potential interferences may be accomplished through alarm information and flagging algorithms incorporated into the instrument and by examination of a blood film to ensure absence of relevant interferences.