Treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory disorders and HIV
This invention concerns compositions and methods of treating or diagnosing inflammatory disorders and other disorders, as well as compositions and methods of treating HIV.
1. A method of treating inflammatory atopic dermatitis consisting essentially of administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a leukotoxin comprising SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein the inflammatory atopic dermatitis is characterized by activation of leukocytes that express upregulated and activated leukocyte function antigen (LFA-1) on their surface and wherein the leukotoxin binds specifically to the activated LFA-1 and thereby kills the activated leukocytes.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the leukotoxin is prepared from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the leukotoxin is purified.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the leukotoxin is administered with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the leukotoxin is administered systemically to the subject.