Study of heavy metal content in HIV-infected blood using X-ray fluorescence technique.

The objective of this work was to study the sensitivity of energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) in the elemental analysis of blood samples. Using this technique, blood samples (0.03 ml) from infected and non-infected patients were evaluated. It was possible to point out that blood samples from patients infected by HIV present deficiencies in Fe, Zn and K concentrations when compared to non-infected ones. The results emphasized EDXRF as a important technique for detection of heavy metals in blood using small volume of samples, without the need of any specific sample pre-preparation, and leading to an important reduction in the final cost of the analyses.