Serum cytokine responses during acute human granulocytic ehrlichiosis

Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2000 Jan;7(1):6-8. doi: 10.1128/CDLI.7.1.6-8.2000.

Abstract

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is caused by obligate intracellular bacteria in the Ehrlichia 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-alpha), interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), IL-10, and IL-4 concentrations were studied. IFN-gamma (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 and P </= 0.018, respectively). TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-4 levels were not elevated. Cytokine levels in severely and mildly affected patients were not different. HGE leads to induction of IFN-gamma-dominated cell-mediated immunity associated with clinical manifestations, recovery from infection, or both.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Convalescence
  • Cytokines / blood*
  • Ehrlichia / immunology
  • Ehrlichiosis / blood*
  • Ehrlichiosis / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular / physiology*
  • Interferon-gamma / blood
  • Interleukin-1 / blood
  • Interleukin-10 / blood
  • Interleukin-4 / blood
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Interleukin-1
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma