Evaluation of a newly identified soluble CD14 subtype as a marker for sepsis

• Published in: Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy Vol. 11; no. 5; pp. 234 - 238
• Main Authors: Yaegashi, Yasunori, Sato, Nobuhiro, Suzuki, Yasushi, Kojika, Masahiro, Imai, Satoko, Takahashi, Gaku, Miyata, Michiko, Endo, Shigeatsu, Shirakawa, Kamon, Furusako, Shoji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2005
• Subjects: Aged; Biomarkers - blood; CD14; Diagnosis; EIA; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques - methods; Lipopolysaccharide Receptors - blood; Male; ROC Curve; Sepsis; Sepsis - diagnosis; Severity of Illness Index; SIRS; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome - diagnosis; SIRS; Sepsis; CD14; Diagnosis; EIA
• DOI: 10.1007/s10156-005-0400-4
• ISSN: 1341-321X

CD14, a high-affinity receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), is a glycoprotein expressed on the surface membranes of monocytes/macrophages. We have identified a previously unknown form of soluble CD14, named soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST), that is increased in patients with sepsis. To measure sCD14-ST concentrations in plasma, we prepared anti-sCD14-ST antibodies and developed an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for this soluble form of CD14. With this assay, quantitative measurements are available within 4h, and we compared the levels of sCD14-ST in plasma from normal subjects (healthy controls), patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and sepsis patients. The level of sCD14-ST in subjects with sepsis was much higher than the levels in subjects with SIRS and the healthy controls. Additionally, when a subject's sCD14-ST level was used as a diagnostic marker for sepsis, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.817, thereby demonstrating that elevated sCD14-ST levels were a better marker for sepsis than the other molecular markers we tested. sCD14-ST levels also correlated with procalcitonin (PCT) levels and with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores. Finally, changes in sCD14-ST concentration correlated with the severity of sepsis. Taken together, these results indicate that sCD14-ST is a useful marker for the rapid diagnosis of sepsis and for monitoring the severity of the disease.