Patent ID: 7867476

Claim:
A method for detecting an enteroviral infection in a subject's heart, the method comprising in vitro immunological detection of a dystrophin cleavage product in blood or cardiovascular tissue obtained from the subject, wherein the dystrophin cleavage product is produced by enteroviral protease 2A cleavage of the rod domain of dystrophin, wherein the detection is performed in an immunoassay using a detectably labeled dystrophin epitope-specific antibody or Fab fragment thereof, wherein the dystrophin epitope-specific antibody or Fab fragment thereof is specific to the dystrophin cleavage product produced by enteroviral protease 2A cleavage of the rod domain of dystrophin, and wherein binding of the antibody indicates that a dystrophin cleavage product resulting from an enteroviral infection is present in the blood or cardiovascular tissue assayed.