Abstract: An immunoassay for assisting in the diagnosis of sepsis or severe infection in a patient/subject, the assay comprising the steps of: (i) optionally contacting a test sample comprising neutrophils from the patient with an agent that permeabilises or solubilizes neutrophils; (ii) simultaneously with (i) or sequentially, contacting the sample with a binding agent that binds specifically to CD64 in the sample and forms a CD64-binding agent complex a; (iii) simultaneously with (i) and/or (ii) or sequentially, contacting the sample with a second binding agent that binds specifically to a neutrophil number marker (NNM) in the sample and forms a neutrophil marker-binding agent complex b; (iv) employ the amount of complex a and complex b to determine the relative level of CD46 and of NNM in the sample.

Abstract: An immunoassay for assisting in the diagnosis of sepsis or severe infection in a patient/subject, the assay comprising the steps of: (i) optionally contacting a test sample comprising neutrophils from the patient with an agent that permeabilises or solubilises neutrophils; (ii) simultaneously with (i) or sequentially, contacting the sample with a binding agent that binds specifically to CD64 in the sample and forms a CD64-binding agent complex a; (iii) simultaneously with (i) and/or (ii) or sequentially, contacting the sample with a second binding agent that binds specifically to a neutrophil number marker (NNM) in the sample and forms a neutrophil marker-binding agent complex b; (iv) employ the amount of complex a and complex b to determine the relative level of CD46 and of NNM in the sample.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward immunologic- and nucleic acid-based methodologies for the detection of non-pathogenic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains in the body fluids of HIV-infected individuals. A blood donor infected with HIV-1 and a cohort of six blood or blood product recipients infected from this donor were studied. These patients, who remained free of HIV-1-related disease and displayed stable and normal CD4 lymphocyte counts 10 to 14 years after infection, were termed long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs). The molecular characterization of HIV-1 sequences obtained from either virus isolates or patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of LTNPs identified similar deletions in the nef gene and in the region of overlap of nef and the U3 region of the long terminal repeat (LTR). These deletions corresponded to amino acids 166-206, or nucleotides 9281 to 9437, of the HIV-1.sub.NL43 nef/LTR region.

Abstract: This invention is directed toward non-pathogenic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains containing deletions in the nef gene and U3 region of the long terminal repeat (LTR). A blood donor infected with HIV-1 and a cohort of six blood or blood product recipients infected from this donor were identified. These individuals, who remained free of HIV-1-related disease with stable and normal CD4.sup.+ lymphocyte counts 10 to 14 years after infection, were termed long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs). The molecular characterization of HIV-1 sequences obtained from either virus isolates or patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of LTNPs identified similar deletions in the nef gene and in the region of overlap of nef and the U3 region of the LTR. Full-length sequencing of one isolate genome and amplification of selected HIV-1 genome regions from other cohort members revealed no other abnormalities of obvious functional significance.