What is commonly measured by flow cytometry to diagnose various immunologic disorders?

Flow cytometry is a powerful technique widely used in immunology for the analysis of cell populations based on specific surface markers and characteristics. It allows for the rapid measurement of multiple parameters at the single-cell level, making it particularly useful for diagnosing immunologic disorders.

The measurement of T-cell subsets is crucial in diagnosing a range of immunologic conditions. This involves identifying different types of T-cells, such as CD4+ helper T-cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells, among others. The balance and proportions of these subsets can provide significant insights into immune system functionality and abnormalities, such as in autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies, and lymphoproliferative disorders.

In contrast, while antibody levels, cytokine profiles, and MHC class molecules can all provide valuable information in immunologic evaluation, they are not the primary focus of flow cytometry in the same way T-cell subsets are. Antibody levels are typically measured using other techniques such as ELISA, cytokine profiles often require specific assays like multiplex assays or ELISAs, and MHC class molecules can be analyzed but are not as central to the immunologic diagnoses as T-cell populations. Thus, the measurement of T-cell subsets is a key aspect of flow cyt