Screening method for inflammatory diseases using neutrophil defensins and lactoferrin

A method of screening a patient for the presence of one or more inflammatory disorders using a sample taken from said patient;

• said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• determining a summed total of concentrations of lactoferrin and at least one member selected from the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peotides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6, human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 in said sample;
• and,
• correlating said summed total of concentrations of said lactoferrin and the at least one member of the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peptides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 in said sample with at least one known corresponding summed total of concentrations of lactoferrin and at least one member of the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peptides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6, human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 indicative of said one or more said inflammatory disorders.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of one or more disorders selected from the group consisting of:

• intraamniotic infection, bacterial meningitis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis, using a sample taken from patient said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• determining a summed total of concentrations of defensins and lactoferrin in said sample;
• and,
• correlating said summed total of concentrations of defensins and lactoferrin in said sample with at least one known summed total of concentrations of defensins and lactoferrin indicative of said one or more disorders.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of one or more inflammatory disorders using a sample taken from said patient;

• said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• determining a summed total of concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample;
• and,
• correlating said summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample with at least one known summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin indicative of said one or more said inflammatory disorders.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of one or more inflammatory disorders using a sample taken from said patient;

• said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• determining the concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample;
• adding the determined concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin together to produce a summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin for said sample;
• and,
• correlating said summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin for said sample with known summed totals of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin indicative of said one or more inflammatory disorders.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of one or more inflammatory disorders in a sample taken from said patient;

• said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof, said method comprising the steps of:
• determining concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample;
• adding the determined concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin together to produce a summed total for the sample;
• comparing said summed total for said sample to a corresponding known reference summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin;
• and,
• if said summed total for the sample exceeds said known reference summed total by at least a predetermined amount, correlating said summed total for the sample exceeding said known reference summed total with known corresponding abnormal summed totals indicative of said one or more said inflammatory disorders, thereby providing a positive screen for said one or more disorders.

A method of screening for the presence of one or more inflammatory disorders in a patient, said method comprising:

• obtaining a sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof from said patient;
• determining concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample;
• adding the determined concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin together to produce a summed total for said sample;
• comparing said summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin for said sample to a corresponding known reference summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin;
• and,
• if said summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin for said sample exceeds said known reference summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin by at least a predetermined amount, correlating said summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin for said sample exceeding said known reference summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin with corresponding known abnormal summed totals of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin indicative of said one or more said inflammatory disorders, thereby providing a positive screen for said one or more disorders.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of bacterial meningitis using a sample taken from said patient;

• said sample comprising a bodily fluid, a tissue or a combination thereof;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• determining a summed total of concentrations of lactoferrin and at least one member selected from the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peptides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6, human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 in said sample;
• and,correlating said summed total of concentrations of said lactoferrin and the at least one member of the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peptides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6, human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 in said sample with at least one known corresponding summed total of concentrations of lactoferrin and at least one member of the group consisting of:
• human neutrophil peptides HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HNP5, human defensins HD-5, HD-6, human β defensins HBD-1, and HBD-2 indicative of bacterial meningitis,
• wherein said steps of determining and correlating are accomplished by a dipstick.

A method of screening a patient for the presence of bacterial meningitis using a sample taken from said patient, said method comprising:

• contacting a portion of said sample with anti-human neutrophil peptide antibodies for a time sufficient to permit antigen-antibody bonding to occur;
• assaying the amount of said human neutrophil peptides present;
• contacting a portion of said sample with an anti-lactoferrin antibody for a time sufficient to permit antigen-antibody binding to occur;
• assaying the amount of said lactoferrin present;
• adding the assayed said amount of human neutrophil peptides to the assayed said amount of lactoferrin to yield a summed total of concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample;
• and,
• correlating said summed total of concentrations of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin in said sample with at least one known corresponding summed total of human neutrophil peptides and lactoferrin indicative of bacterial meningitis,
• wherein said steps are accomplished by a dipstick.