Applying flow cytometry in veterinary medicine.

摘要

The number of ways in which flow cytometry may be applied in veterinary sciences is continually increasing, especially in the fields of immunology, oncology, pharmacology and microbiology. White blood cell analysis by flow cytometry, and in particular, the study of leukocyte antigens, phagocytosis and intracellular killing, is being applied to an ever growing number of animal species. Moreover, flow cytometry enables red blood cell analysis, including reticulocyte count and maturity, identification of anti-erythrocyte antibodies and intraerythrocyte parasites detection. Through flow cytometry it is possible to make a speedy and precise diagnosis of neoplasms. In diseases of the haematopoietic system, such as leukemia and lymphomas this method allows the cell line which has become malignant to be precisely established. When appropriate procedures are used, solid tissues such as tumors can be investigated, and if there is no direct access to tumors, it is possible to study cells from secondary lesions - e.g. pleural fluid or peritoneal fluid. Flow cytometry can provide information about sperm parameters, such as sperm cell chromatin structures or differentiations between X and Y bearing sperm cells. The flow cytometry method enables a wide range of diseases to be diagnosed by studying apoptosis, i.e. programmed cell death. When adequate, modified procedures are applied, it can be utilized in diagnosing bacterial and viral infections and it is the only method which makes it possible to determine cytokines produced by different cell populations, and cytokine sets produced by a single cell.