Serum levels of interleukin-6 in contacts of active pulmonary tuberculosis

Jornal Brasileiro de Patologia e Medicina Laboratorial

Fernando Henrique Azevedo Lopes¹  Lívia Coelho De Assis²  Roberto Da Justa Pires Neto²  Karine Paschoal Botelho²  Kélvia Miranda Sá²  Cristiane Cunha Frota²  José Walter Correia²  Max Victor Carioca Freitas² 

[1] ,Faculdade de Tecnologia Intensiva

关键词: Mycobacterium tuberculosis;    latent tuberculosis;    tuberculosis;    interleukin-6;    enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay;    Mycobacterium tuberculosis;    tuberculose latente;    tuberculose;    interleucina-6;    ensaio de imunoadsorção enzimática;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1676-24442013000600005

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

INTRODUCTION: It is estimated that over two billion individuals are infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis worldwide. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine whose serum levels are commonly high in active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). IL-6 screening in contacts of patients with TB may be useful to monitor the progress of the infectious process and to infer the risk of progression to active disease. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the serum levels of interleukin-6 in contacts of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and to compare them with two other groups: a) patients affected by active pulmonary tuberculosis; b) non-contacts of tuberculosis. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 15 contacts of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, selected according to the protocol recommended by the Ministry of Health. The serum levels of interleukin-6 were measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The same test was also applied in the two comparison groups: 38 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (confirmed by clinical examination, X-rays of the chest and baciloscopy) and 63 non-contacts (healthy blood donors). RESULTS: In the contact group, the median IL-6 concentration was 1.7 pg/ml (0.96-4.8 pg/ml). For those affected by active pulmonary tuberculosis and non-contact individuals, these values corresponded to 4.3 pg/ml (0.5-24 pg/ml) and 0.5 pg/ml (0-2.8 pg/ml), respectively (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Contacts of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis had significantly higher IL-6 serum levels (3.4 times higher) in relation to non-contact individuals, but on a lower level (2.5 times lower) when compared to those affected by active disease.

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