High fluorescent lymphocytes in dengue infection; A navigator for hematopathologists.

Objective: The aim of this research is the early detection of dengue infection on the basis of presence of high fluorescent lymphocyte (HFL) which enables the clinicians to tailor further investigations and early commencement of treatment to prevent complications and thus can reduce mortality and morbidity in dengue patients. Study Design: Prospective Research. Setting: Fauji Foundation Hospital in Rawalpindi. Period: February 2022 to July 2022. Material & Methods: Samples of Full blood counts (FBC) received in Pathology laboratory were processed on automated Hematology analyzer Sysmex XN-series (XN-1000). All the FBCs that were of known dengue patients were excluded from the study. The FBCs with High Fluorescent Lymphocytes on White blood cell differential fluorescence (WDF) scattergram were selected and evaluated. Detection of dengue infection was done by using Dengue Virus ELISA (IgM and IgG) test. Results: Among one hundred samples with High Fluorescence Lymphocyte there were 77% were Dengue Positive. Binomial test did give a significant association of Dengue with High Fluorescence Lymphocyte (p<0.01). Conclusion: We draw the conclusion that presence of high fluorescent lymphocytes helps in the early detection of dengue positive cases.