A METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF A SUBJECT TO ORAL INFECTION BY THE DETECTION OF LL-37

摘要

The present invention relates to diagnosis of neutropenia and to methods fordetermining susceptibility to infection. The invention also relates to methodsfor treating neutropenia and treating and/or preventing infections. Theinventors have shown that a reduction in the levels of LL-37 in the saliva andneutrophils results in an increased susceptibility to periodontal infectionscaused mainly by bacteria from the normal oral flora. The present inventionprovides a method for determining the susceptibility of a subject toinfection, which method comprises: i) providing a sample from said subject;ii) detecting any LL-37 present in said sample; iii) optionally comparing thelevel of LL-37 in said sample to a control. sample; and iv) determining thesusceptibility of said subject to infection, wherein no LL-37 or a low levelof LL-37 indicates that said subject is susceptible to infection.