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US 6,673,566 B1Granted
Diagnosis of pathogen infections through analysis of nitrite production by antigen stimulated leukocytes
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsWade R. Waters, Mitchell V. Palmer
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Abstract
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells which have been isolated from an animal that is infected with a microbial pathogen produce nitric oxide in response to stimulation with antigens from that pathogen. Determination of nitric oxide production in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with a pathogen's antigens may thus provide an indication of infection of the animal.
Claims13
A method for detecting an infection in an animal by a pathogenic microorganism which elicits a cell-mediated immune response comprising:
- a) providing a sample of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a test animal;
- b) culturing said peripheral blood mononuclear cells in a culture medium containing an antigen for a suspect pathogenic microorganism (incubating under conditions and for a period of time effective to stimulate said cells);
- and
- c) determining the presence of nitric oxide produced by the culture of said peripheral blood mononuclear cells in b), wherein the determination of nitric oxide production is an indication of the presence of an infection in said animal by said suspect pathogenic microorganism.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.