Sensitivity and specificity of the high fluorescent lymphocyte count-gate on the Sysmex XE-5000 hematology analyzer for detection of peripheral plasma cells.

Background: Plasma cells are one of the end products of the B-lymphocyte mediated immune response. These cells normally reside in the bone marrow or some peripheral lymphoid tissues. Increased numbers of plasma cells in the blood, usually indicates pathology such as infection, auto-immunity or haematological malignancy.