Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a new infectious disease with a global impact. Understanding its pathogenesis and developing specific diagnostic methods for its early diagnosis are crucial for the effective management and control of this disease. By using proteomic technology, truncated forms of <sub>1</sub>antitrypsin (TF<sub>1</sub>AT) were found to increase significantly and consistently in sera of SARS patients compared to control subjects. The result showed a sensitivity of 100% for SARS patients and a specificity of 92.8% for controls. Furthermore, the levels of these proteins significantly correlated with certain clinicopathological parameters. The dramatic increase in TF<sub>1</sub>AT may be the result of degradation of <sub>1</sub>AT. As <sub>1</sub>AT plays an important role in the protection of lung function, its degradation may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of SARS. These findings indicate that increased TF<sub>1</sub>AT