Open AccessSerum Cytokine Responses during Acute Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis
Author(s) -
J. Stephen Dumler,
Ellen R. Trigiani,
Johan S. Bakken,
M. E. Aguero-Rosenfeld,
Gary P. Wormser
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1098-6588
pISSN - 1071-412X
DOI - 10.1128/cdli.7.1.6-8.2000
Subject(s) - ehrlichiosis , subclinical infection , immunology , tumor necrosis factor alpha , cytokine , immunity , interleukin 10 , interleukin , medicine , biology , immune system , virology , tick
Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is caused by obligate intracellular bacteria in theEhrlichia phagocytophila group. The disease ranges from subclinical to fatal. We speculated that cell-mediated immunity would be important for recovery from and potentially in the clinical manifestations of HGE; thus, serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), IL-10, and IL-4 concentrations were studied. IFN-γ (1,035 ± 235 pg/ml [mean ± standard error of the mean]) and IL-10 (118 ± 46 pg/ml) concentrations were elevated in acute-phase sera versus convalescent sera and normal subjects (P ≤ 0.013 andP ≤ 0.018, respectively). TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-4 levels were not elevated. Cytokine levels in severely and mildly affected patients were not different. HGE leads to induction of IFN-γ-dominated cell-mediated immunity associated with clinical manifestations, recovery from infection, or both.