Endotoxaemia, fever and clinical status in immunosuppressed patients: a preliminary study.

A prospective study was performed in order to find out whether endotoxaemia assays are clinically relevant in neutropenic patients. In a group of 10 immunocompromised patients, serial haematological, bacteriological and clinical investigations were done in parallel with serial plasma endotoxin assays. The chromogenic modification of the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay for endotoxin used in this study had a sensitivity of less than 10 pg endotoxin per ml plasma.

Effect of heat on endotoxin in plasma and in pyrogen-free water, as measured in the Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay.

Four modes of heating endotoxin in plasma and two different times of heating endotoxin in pyrogen-free water were compared. There were no significant differences in standard curves after heating endotoxin in plasma at 100 degrees C for 1 and for 10 min. However, the standard curve after heating for 10 min at 75 degrees C had a significantly less steep slope, and after heating for 10 min at 56 degrees C, it was completely flat.

A sensitive chromogenic Limulus amoebocyte lysate micro-assay for detection of endotoxin in human plasma and in water.

This chromogenic endotoxin assay involves a 45 min incubation of plasma extract or water with a mixture of Limulus amoebocyte lysate and the chromogenic substrate S-2423. Absorbance is measured in micro-titre plates. The assay allows the detection of 0.

A micromethod for endotoxin assay in human plasma using Limulus amoebocyte lysate and a chromogenic substrate.

A modified micromethod for endotoxin assay is reported which involved incubation of plasma extract with Limulus amoebocyte lysate for 30 min followed by incubation with chromogenic substrate S-2423 for another 8 min. Absorbance is measured in microtitre plates. The sensitivity is less than 5 pg/ml (0.