Automated Complete Blood Count Analysis

Automated CBC analysis was performed on the fraction of retained blood using the COULTER Ac·T diff Analyzer (Beckman). All samples were run in duplicate. Alternatively, a spreader slide and 10 μL of blood were used to create a peripheral blood smear. Air-dried slides were then stained with Wright’s Giemsa using an immersion protocol. Briefly, slides were stained for 1 minute, rinsed for 5 minutes in phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) (made with potassium phosphate, monobasic 50.1% [w/w] and sodium phosphate, dibasic 49.9% [w/w]), washed briefly in running deionized water, dried, and coverslipped. The WBC count was determined by taking the average number of WBCs in 10 fields at ×40 high power and multiplying by 2.0 × 10⁹/L (67 (link)).