About the Authors

Lindi-Marie Coetzee

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

lindi.coetzee@nhls.ac.za

Affiliations Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), CD4 Unit, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa

Deborah K. Glencross

Roles Conceptualization, Supervision, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), CD4 Unit, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa

Competing Interests

The patent of the laboratory CD4 method currently used in the laboratories in the National Health Laboratory Service (#EP1 405 073, and US patent #7670793, entitled: “Cell Enumeration”) is wholly owned by the NHLS. In terms of DKG’s employment contracts with the NHLS, any invention made by DKG during the course of employment is automatically deemed to be owned by the NHLS. As such DKG is named as the inventor but the patentee is the NHLS. Use of the patented CD4 method in NHLS is not automatic and despite that Beckman Coulter have a licensing agreement with the NHLS and receives royalties, BC is still required, through national government procurement policy, to compete in an open public tender to supply CD4 laboratory testing equipment and reagents. The tender is re-advertised and renewed after the expiration period specified for the tender. The authors confirm that this did not alter adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.