A comprehensive evaluation was initiated to determine the suitability of the QBC-Vet Autoread haematology system for veterinary purposes in domestic and pet animal species. The system determines haematocrit (HCT), haemoglobin (HGB), white blood cell (WBC) count, granulocyte count, combined lymphocyte and monocyte count (L/M), platelet count, as well as eosinophil and neutrophil counts (canine samples only), and reticulocyte count (canine and feline samples only). Linearity assessed for a canine sample usually surpassed the physiological range. Within-batch precision was very good for the majority of the parameters in feline and canine samples: Coefficients of variation (CV) were below 5.5% for HCT, HGB and WBC. In order to test the accuracy of the system with respect to reference methods, a total of 300 blood samples from the Clinics of Internal Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (101 canine, 99 feline and 100 equine) were analysed. Strong linear correlation was demonstrated for HCT, HGB (rτ;/0.96) and WBC (rτ;/0.93) based on high correlation coefficients and narrow confidence intervals. A somewhat higher degree of variation from the estimated regression lines was found in differential blood cell counts, especially for eosinophil counts of the dog where the automated reader erroneously attributed some lymphocytes or monocytes to eosinophil counts. Accuracy of the system was also assessed with respect to clinical relevance of results. The majority of leukocytosis (50 of 53), neutrophilias (3 of 4), or eosinophilias (4 of 5) was detected properly by the QBC-Vet Autoread haematology system, but only 20 out of 35 leukopenic samples were identified correctly. The system detected the presence of reticulocytes in the majority of feline (9 of 10) and canine (6 of 7) samples with a regenerative anaemia. Unexpectedly, platelets of cats were measured with high within-batch precision (mean CV=4.64%). No ‘streaming' effect (no discrimination between erythrocytes and granulocytes) was observed with this advanced QBC system. The system was found to be easy both in handling and interpretation of results. The buffy coat profile appeared particularly useful and informative. In conclusion, the QBC-Vet Autoread-System has excellent analytical properties and is well suited for veterinary purpose
