Evaluation of the Sysmex pocH-1001 haematology analyser in an outdoor oncology service.

Since rapid blood count analysis as near patient testing is expanding, we evaluated the use of a Sysmex pocH-100i compact haematology analyser in an outdoor oncology setting according to the recently published International Council for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH) guidelines. In total, 838 blood samples from oncology patients were analysed by pocH-100i and re-analysed by a high-throughput haematology analyser for comparison (Abbott CD-4000 or Sysmex XE-2100) to evaluate in use imprecision, comparability and vote-outs. Imprecision was less than 5%, except for platelet enumeration in the low range (within-run imprecision 7%). Good comparability was found even for platelet enumeration in the low range (r2 = 0.82). Vote-outs were found in 10.6% of examined samples. In conclusion, the Sysmex pocH-100i demonstrates good imprecision conform with former publications, produces reliable results in normal and in lower ranges comparable to the results of high throughput haematology analysers. In a well controlled management plan the Sysmex pocH-100i is suitable for near patient testing in oncology.

The impact of daily Duddingtonia flagrans application to lactating ewes on gastrointestinal nematodes infections in their lambs in the Netherlands.

Two experiments were performed in 2002 and 2003 to evaluate the effect of biological control of gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep through the daily feeding of 500,000 chlamydospores of Duddingtonia flagrans/kg bodyweight to lactating ewes during the first 9 weeks with their young lambs on pasture. In both experiments four groups of eight ewes and their April-borne lambs were used. They were turned out on four separate plots (plots A) at the beginning of May, moved to similar separate plots after 3 (plots B) and 6 weeks (plots C), respectively, and weaning occurred after 9 weeks. In both experiments, two groups were fed spores daily while the two other groups served as controls. The effect of D. flagrans application was evaluated through faecal egg counts of ewes and lambs, the yield of faecal cultures in ewes, pasture larval counts and worm counts of lambs and tracer lambs. The results demonstrated no effect of D. flagrans application during the first 5 (2002) or 4 (2003) weeks. Subsequently, fungus application strongly reduced the yield in faecal cultures of the ewes. This was, however, not reflected in the pasture larval counts, but lower worm burdens were observed in tracer lambs of 'treated' plots C in 2002 than on those of 'control' plots. In 2003 worm burdens in 'treated' lambs returned to plots B were lower than those of 'control' lambs and a tendency for the same was observed for plots C. However, in all groups, lambs and tracer lambs developed severe haemonchosis.