Introducing 8-color flow-cytometry to the routine workup of cerebrospinal fluid

Background and aim: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis plays an important role in the diagnostic workup of many neurological diseases. CSF cells are usually assessed by their morphology. Due to the limited amount of CSF cells available for analysis, immunocytometric methods have received little attention so far. Based on the development of new cytometers, we aimed to assess, whether the main immune cell subsets in CSF can be determined in a single staining during routine CSF workup. Methods: 8-color flow-cytometry was used to phenotype the CSF cells. A single staining with monoclonal antibodies against CD45 (all…