A case of false-positive test results in a pregnant woman of unknown HIV status at delivery.

We report a case of a false-positive HIV result in an apparently healthy pregnant woman. Since no prenatal HIV testing had been performed, we screened for HIV reactivity utilizing the Architect HIV-Ag/Ab Combo assay. Results obtained were inconsistent in that they were repeatedly HIV reactive on a single serum sample while nonreactive on a plasma sample. However, both sample types were nonreactive on the Advia Centaur HIV-1/O/2 and Oraquick assays. For further confirmation, an HIV-1 Western blot and viral load were performed; blot results were indeterminate while the viral load was undetectable. We concluded that the repeatedly reactive serum serology results were false-positive. While the cause of this false reactivity is not clear, most likely fibrin microclots in the serum sample interfered with the assay and thus accounted for the false positivity. Plasma may thus provide a more appropriate sample type when using the Architect assay, especially when testing pregnant women.

An automated real-time free phenytoin assay to replace the obsolete Abbott TDx method.

Phenytoin is a commonly used anticonvulsant that is highly protein bound with a narrow therapeutic range. The unbound fraction, free phenytoin (FP), is responsible for pharmacologic effects; therefore, it is essential to measure both FP and total serum phenytoin levels. Historically, the Abbott TDx method has been widely used for the measurement of FP and was the method used in our laboratory. However, the FP TDx assay was recently discontinued by the manufacturer, so we had to develop an alternative methodology. We evaluated the Beckman-Coulter DxC800 based FP method for linearity, analytical sensitivity, and precision. The analytical measurement range of the method was 0.41 to 5.30 microg/mL. Within-run and between-run precision studies yielded CVs of 3.8% and 5.5%, respectively. The method compared favorably with the TDx method, yielding the following regression equation: DxC800 = 0.9**TDx + 0.10; r2 = 0.97 (n = 97). The new FP assay appears to be an acceptable alternative to the TDx method.

Compound heterozygosity for hemoglobin S [beta6(A3)Glu6Val] and hemoglobin Korle-Bu [beta73(E17)Asp73Asn].

We report a case of compound heterozygous hemoglobins S [beta6(A3)Glu6Val] and Korle-Bu [beta73(E17)Asp73Asn] in a 2-year-old girl. This hemoglobin genotype is associated with a benign clinical course, much like the sickle cell trait; however, its laboratory characteristics are very similar to compound heterozygous hemoglobin S and hemoglobin D-Los Angeles [beta121(GH4)Glu121Gln], which produces severe sickling hemolytic anemia. We describe laboratory data used to resolve this important differential diagnosis and review the interactions between hemoglobin S and the variant hemoglobins that may account for the different clinical phenotypes in compound heterozygotes.