One-minute through test to distinguish lower respiratory infection by analysis of sputum; exploring the mechanisms

Cough and fever are the initial symptoms of lower respiratory infection. Severe cases might be fatal. Therefore, particularly in the non-equipped centers, the lack of diagnostic methods to identify the severe cases has resulted in overconsumption of antibiotics. On the basis of the knowledge about non-specific immune response at the site of injury, we developed a colorimetric dip-test that shows abrupt, sensitive and quite specific color change upon contact with sputum in the cases of lower respiratory infection. We further explored the mechanism of the test. We detected deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and hepatocyte growth factor in the sputum of patients that suffered from respiratory infection (n = 18). The results differed significantly (P