Inflammatory and immunogenetic markers in correlation with pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe serum levels of the cytokines IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, as well as polymorphisms in the genes involved in their transcription, and their association with markers of the acute inflammatory response in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: This was a descriptive, longitudinal study involving 81 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis treated at two referral hospitals. We collected data on sociodemographic variables and evaluated bacteriological conversion at the eighth week of antituberculosis treatment, gene polymorphisms related to the cytokines studied, and serum levels of those cytokines, as well as those of C-reactive protein (CRP). We also determined the ESR and CD4+ counts. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 43 years; 67 patients (82.7%) were male; and 8 patients (9.9%) were infected with HIV. The ESR was highest in the patients with high IFN-γ levels and low IL-10 levels. IFN-γ and TNF-α gene polymorphisms at positions +874 and −238, respectively, showed no correlations with the corresponding cytokine serum levels. Low IL-10 levels were associated with IL-10 gene polymorphisms at positions −592 and −819 (but not −1082). There was a negative association between bacteriological conversion at the eighth week of treatment and CRP levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that genetic markers and markers of acute inflammatory response are useful in predicting the response to antituberculosis treatment.

Revisiting the Heterogeneous IFN-γ Response of Bacille of Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-Revaccinated Healthy Volunteers in a Randomized Controlled Trial: Effect of the Body Mass Index and of the IFNG+874 A/T Polymorphism

“…The allelic and genotypic frequencies for the IFNG +874 polymorphism agreed with those found for the Brazilian population [ 18 , 24 , 25 ] and elsewhere [ 26 , 27 ]. The A allele was the most frequent and there were no differences in its frequency between the groups evaluated ( Table 1 ).…”

Clinical–epidemiological profile of confirmed cases of osteoarticular tuberculosis

“…In several reports, there were increased levels of CRP in the initial phase, with decreases occurring throughout treatment (Forbes et al, 2018;Mbuh et al, 2019;Muller et al, 2013). In the present study, there was a significant association between a higher value of CRP (median = 6.4 mg dL −1 ) at the end of treatment and the presence of long-term sequelae (p<0.037).…”

Serum IL-1β and IL-18 correlate with ESR and CRP in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients

“…Raised ESR and CRP are indicative of infection and have been shown to be increased in TB patients. The plasma levels of ESR and CRP reflect the intensity of the pathological process [ 6 ] . In our present study, serum IL-1 β and IL-18 levels are positively correlated to ESR and CRP in both DS-TB and MDR-TB patients.…”