Human leukocyte antigen-B27 typing by flow cytometry: Comparison of three CE-IVD methods

The human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27), associated with chronic inflammatory diseases is thus widely performed for diagnostic purposes. Genotyping by molecular biology is the current gold standard for HLA-B27 typing, but cheaper and faster flow cytometry methods have been developed.

In this report, we compare analytical performances of three CE-IVD flow cytometry kits: IOTest™ and DuraClone B27™ from Beckman Coulter and BD HLA-B27™ from BD Biosciences on a Navios™ cytometer as compared to molecular biology.

Routine analyses could conclude for HLA-B27 in197 patients (23.2%) and was not conclusive for 66 patients (7%, 8%). The experience revealed the needs to complete IOTest™ with a lineage marker (like CD3-APC) and a standardization procedure in detection of fluorescence. Comparative analysis considering 23/44 non-conclusive samples as negative, pointed out a 100% sensitivity and specificity of IOTest™ in determining genetically proved HLA-B27. Specificity of the BD HLA-B27^TM kit was 94% (two false positives) sticking to the manufacturer instructions but raised to 100% and 94% sensitivity with a cutoff at 8.5 (225 on FACSdiva's scale).

The DuraClone B27™ specificity was poor using the manufacturer cutoff but raised to 100% with a 8.0 cutoff instead of 15.

The three flow cytometry kits displayed satisfying performances but need adjustments. The DuraClone B27™ kit seems to be the best while the IOTest™ kit is not conclusive in 8% of cases. In most cases the use of molecular biology can be spared, but genotyping remains essential for patients whose HLA-B27 status cannot be determined with confidence by flow cytometry.