PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Antonio La Gioia
AU  - Alessandra Devito
AU  - Fabiana Fiorini
AU  - Maria Bombara
AU  - Patrizia Isola
AU  - Barbara Spinale
AU  - Lucia Francioni
AU  - Domenico Salamone
AU  - Paola Marelli
AU  - Sabrina Buoro
AU  - Marcello Fiorini
TI  - Cytographic changes on BC-6800 Haematological Analyzer related to the presence of <em>Candida albicans</em> in peripheral blood. A new tool to suspect candidemia?
AID  - 10.1136/jclinpath-2016-204078
DP  - 2017 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Clinical Pathology
PG  - 494--499
VI  - 70
IP  - 6
4099  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/70/6/494.short
4100  - http://jcp.bmj.com/content/70/6/494.full
SO  - J Clin Pathol2017 Jun 01; 70
AB  - Background We studied the quantitative and cytographic changes that the presence of Candida albicans (C. albicans) in peripheral blood (PB) samples causes on the Mindray BC-6800 Haematological Analyzer.Methods A simulated in vitro candidemia was obtained by adding a different amount of C. albicans to discarded remnants of PB samples. Quantitative data and cytographic features were evaluated immediately as well as after 120 and 240 min of the yeast addition. A microscopic slides review was even performed at the same time.Results After yeasts addition, an increase of total leucocytes, neutrophils and basophils have been observed, but these increases are not certainly descriptive of C. albicans presence.Instead, extracellular blastospores cause a false increase in nucleated red blood cells (nRBCs), which appear as a new population in the specific counting channel for erytroblasts (NRBC channel). Regardless of the numbers, C. albicans form a pseudo-erythroblastic cluster in the NRBC channel whose resulting shape is so different than the ‘normal’ nRBC that it demands a microscopic review. Even cytographic changes related with the neutrophilic phagocytic activity have been observed on leucocyte's differential count citogram (DIFF) of the BC-6800.Conclusions Our observations suggest that the results of the BC-6800, which are due to C. albicans' presence, might be useful to speculate earlier diagnosis of sepsis.