Patent ID: 8417462

Claim:
A method of determining a relative concentration of Replikin sequences in a protein or peptide of a pathogen, comprising: isolating at least one protein or peptide, counting the number of Replikin sequences in a sequence of amino acid residues of said isolated protein or peptide wherein said Replikin sequences are recognized according to the method comprising identifying within said sequence of amino acid residues of said protein or peptide a subsequence of 7 to 50 amino acid residues comprising: (1) a lysine residue six to ten residues from another lysine residue; (2) a histidine residue; and (3) at least 6% lysine residues, wherein said subsequence of 7 to 50 amino acid residues is the shortest subsequence of 7 to 50 amino acid residues that comprises said lysine residue six to ten residues from said another lysine residue and said histidine residue, recognizing said subsequence as a Replikin sequence, and determining a relative concentration of Replikin sequences in said protein or peptide, wherein said concentration is the number of Replikin sequences in said sequence of amino acid residues or any representation of the number of Replikin sequences in said sequence of amino acid residues.