Correlation of CD4 + T-Cell Counts Estimated by an Immunocapture Technique (Capcellia) with Viral Loads in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Seropositive Individuals

As antiretroviral therapy becomes more affordable, valid, reliable, and inexpensive laboratory tests are also needed to monitor the progression of disease in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The CD4(+) T-cell counts estimated by Capcellia, an immunocapture method, and flow cytometry were compared and were correlated with HIV type 1 (HIV-1) load. There was a significant negative correlation between the HIV-1 load and CD4(+) T-cell counts estimated by flow cytometry (r = -0.63, P = <0.001) as well as between the HIV-1 load and CD4(+) T-cell counts estimated by Capcellia (r = -0.61, P = <0.001). Capcellia is a cost-effective, user-friendly assay that correlated well with HIV-1 load determinations for individuals both with and without treatment.