Mezam Polyclinic 1 article published in JoVE Medicine The α-test: Rapid Cell-free CD4 Enumeration Using Whole Saliva Cynthia L. Bristow1, Mariya A. Babayeva1, Rozbeh Modarresi1, Carole P. McArthur2, Santosh Kumar3, Charles Awasom4, Leo Ayuk4, Annette Njinda5, Paul Achu5, Ronald Winston6 1Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 2Department of Oral Biology, University of Missouri-Kansas City-School of Dentistry, 3Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Missouri Kansas City- School of Pharmacy, 4Regional Hospital, Bamenda, NWP, Cameroon, 5Mezam Polyclinic HIV/AIDS Treatment Center, Cameroon, 6Institute for Human Genetics and Biochemistry A CD4 enumeration method, the α-test, is described which uses whole saliva to provide rapid and accurate CD4 counts. The α-test costs pennies and eliminates the need for technical training, costly reagents such as monoclonal antibodies, instrumentation, refrigeration, transport of samples, as well as collection and handling of blood.
