High-precision equipment for determining the immunological status of HIV infection has been introduced in the Pavlodar laboratory

January 30, 2025

Last year, the laboratory of the Pavlodar Regional HIV Prevention Center introduced high-precision equipment of the BD FACSLyric™ clinical system responsible for in vitro diagnostics. The device identifies immune cells that are crucial for monitoring treatment with antiretroviral therapy.

The equipment is connected to the LIS K-LAB information system and has a barcode scanner, which eliminates patient identification errors when results are provided. Last year, 3,196 studies were conducted on the BD FACSLyric™ device in the laboratory of the Pavlodar Regional Center. Analysis of the results of these CD4 cells showed that the lowest titer determined in the laboratory was 1 cell/ml, the highest was 1560 cells/ml, which indicates the high sensitivity of the device.

As you know, early diagnosis of the condition and timely detection of infection is of great importance, since if the human immunodeficiency virus is detected when it has not yet destroyed the immune system and caused multiple damage to the body, then the condition can be brought under control and special antiretroviral therapy can be used more effectively. Immune status determination – an analysis performed on new equipment is especially important for people living with HIV, thanks to it it is possible to determine the effectiveness of treatment with antiretroviral therapy drugs, which means making life long and of high quality.

To clarify, the immunological status is the state of the immune system in a particular patient at a given time. An immunogram is a study of indicators of cellular and humoral immunity and determines the number of different cells of the immune system. For people with HIV, the number of CD4 cells or T-lymphocytes is important – white blood cells that are responsible for the "identification" of various pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi that must be destroyed by the immune system. The number of CD4 cells in a healthy adult ranges from 500 to 1200 cells/ml. HIV can infect CD4s and produce copies of itself in them, causing these cells to die. Although cells die due to HIV every day, millions of CD4s are reproduced to replace them. However, over a long period of time, the CD4 count can decrease and even decrease to dangerous levels.

Of course, there are other cells of the immune system that can provide more complete information about the state of the immune status, they also need to be monitored for further successful treatment.

         We remind you that all HIV tests at the regional HIV prevention center are free of charge. It is extremely important to follow the recommendations of a doctor who, based on the research results, analyzes the ratio of cells of the immune system and adjusts your therapy.

Be healthy!

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