Abstract

A comparative cross sectional study was carried out between September and November 2014 to determine the haematocrit values obtained using automated haematology analyser and the microhaematocrit (manual) methods. A total of 197 cattle were sampled. Three (3) ml of blood was obtained from each animal into an EDTA sample bottle for analysis using both methods. The haematocrit data generated was statistically analysed by student's t-test and linear regression. The result showed a strong positive correlation (r=0.946) between the automated haematocrit and microhaematocrit values. The haematocrit values obtained by the automated haematology analyser were significantly higher than the haematocrit values obtained by microhaematocrit method (p=0.0051). The strong positive correlation probably implies that results obtained from both methods are comparable and reliable. A correction factor of the haematocrit value obtained by manual method can be obtained from the regression equation y=1.043x+0.5892. This may be used to extrapolate the corrected haematocrit value for clinical and research purposes.

Key words: Cattle, Correlation, Haematocrit, Haematology analyser, Microhaematocrit