Method for determining the nature of an infection
AssigneesEsa-Matti Lilius, Jari Nuutila
InventorsEsa-Matti Lilius, Jari Nuutila
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Abstract
The present invention relates to differential diagnostics, and provides a method for determining if an infection detected in a parent is of bacterial or of viral origin. In the method chemiluminescence of phagocytic cells induced by non-opsonized zymosan in a blood sample is measured and the expression of Complement Receptor 1 (cr1 is determined. The value when multiplying chemiluminescence with the CR1 expression is compared with method-specific average values for bacterial and viral infections. The invention also provides test kits for accomplishing the method of the invention.
Claims11
A method for distinguishing a bacterial infection from a viral infection in a patient, comprising the steps of
- (a) collecting a blood sample from a patient into a test tube containing an anticoagulant,
- (b) measuring in said blood sample chemiluminescence of phagocytic cells induced by non-opsonized zymosan (NWBCL), expresed per blood volume,
- (c) separating in the blood sample erythrocytes from leukocytes by lysis,
- (d) determining in the leukocytes the expression of Complement Receptor 1 (CR1),
- (e) multiplying the value obtained at step (b) by the value obtained at step (d), and
- (f) comparing the value so obtained to method-specific average values for bacterial and viral infections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.