Methods for detecting human low molecular weight CD14

A method of detecting human low-molecular-weight CD14 without detecting human high-molecular weight CD14 which comprises:

• binding said human low-molecular-weight CD14 with
• (a) an antibody that binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2;
• and
• (b) an antibody that competes with an antibody which binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence from position 17 to position 26 of SEQ ID NO:5;
• wherein said human low-molecular weight CD14:
• (1) is not bound by F1025-3-1 (Accession No. FERM BP-7296) antibody,
• (2) has a peak of elution at a molecular weight range of 25 to 45 kDa on a gel filtration chromatography, and
• (3) is obtainable from human blood;
• and
• detecting binding of antibodies (a) and (b) to said human low-molecular-weight CD14, whereby said method can detect low-molecular-weight CD14 without detecting high-molecular-weight CD 14.

A method for diagnosing sepsis in a patient comprising the steps of:

• detecting human low-molecular weight CD14 in patient blood by contacting patient blood with:
• (a) an antibody that binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2;
• and
• (b) an antibody that binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence from position 17 to position 26 of SEQ ID NO:5;
• wherein said human low-molecular-weight CD 14:
• (1) is not bound by F1025-3-1 (Accession No. FERM BP-7296) antibody;
• (2) has a peak of elution at a molecular weight range of 25 to 45 kDa as determined by gel filtration chromatography, and
• (3) is obtainable from human blood;
• measuring in said patient blood the amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 bound to both of the above described antibody (a) and the above described antibody (b), thereby determining the amount of human low-molecular-weight CD14 in said patient blood;
• comparing the measured amount of low-molecular-weight CD 14 in said patient blood to a standard amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 in a normal individual;
• and
• evaluating whether the measured amount of human low-molecular weight CD14 observed in said patient blood is higher than the standard amount of human low-molecular weight CD14 observed in a normal individual.

A method for diagnosing sepsis in a patient comprising the steps of:

• detecting human low-molecular-weight CD14 in patient blood by contacting patient blood with a sandwich immunoassay kit, wherein said kit comprises:
• (a) an antibody that binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2;
• and
• (b) an antibody that competes with an antibody which binds to a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence from position 17 to position 26 of SEQ ID NO:5;
• wherein said human low-molecular-weight CD14:
• (1) is not bound by F1025-3-1 (Accession No. FERM BP-7296) antibody,
• (2) has a peak of elution at a molecular weight range of 25 to 45 kDa as determined by gel filtration chromatography, and
• (3) is obtainable from human blood;
• measuring in said patient blood the amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 bound to both of the above described antibody (a) and the above identified (b), thereby determining the amount of human low-molecular-weight CD14 in said patient blood;
• comparing the measured amount of low-molecular-weight CD 14 observed in said patient blood to a standard amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 present in a normal individual;
• and
• evaluating whether the measured amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 observed in said patient blood is higher than the standard amount of low-molecular-weight CD14 observed in a normal individual.