Background:

Antibody deficiencies encompass a wide spectrum of pathologies and constitute approximately 50 % of primary immunodeficiencies; with cytometry, it is possible to evaluate the immune status rapidly, effectively and at low cost.

Objective:

To assess, by means of flow cytometry, the cells of patients with three types of primary humoral immunodeficiencies.

Method:

Using flow cytometry, blood samples from patients and healthy subjects were analyzed with different monoclonal antibodies.

Results:

Using various stains, a severe decrease in B lymphocytes was shown in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia, as well as a lack of CD154 expression in patients with hyper-immunoglobulin M syndrome, and heterogeneity of B lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

Conclusion:

Flow cytometry enables early diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies with a high level of confidence and, in many cases, identification of the genes involved.