EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF SEPSIS UTILIZING ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY INTERACTIONS AMPLIFIED BY WHOLE BLOOD CHEMILUMINESCENCE

摘要

A method for determining the extent of sepsis in a patient by detecting the presence of antigen indicative of sepsis in a patient blood-derived test sample containing white blood cell fractions, the method comprises: i) incubating the test sample with antibodies specific to the antigens indicative of sepsis to form antibody/antigen complexes, ii) introducing a chemiluminescent compound to the test sample, and iii) allowing the antibody/antigen complexes to interact with the white blood cell fractions to produce oxidants. After the above steps are conducted in any order then: iv) the oxidants reacting with the chemiluminescent compounds cause luminescent light to be emitted from the test sample, and v) the emitted light over a predetermined period is measured and correlated with the extent of sepsis.