title: Serum cytokine detection in the clinical follow up of patients with cystic echinococcosis.
abstract: The relation of serum cytokine levels and outcome of chemotherapy was evaluated in 15 patients with cystic echinococcosis. Serum IL-4, IL-10 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) concentrations were determined by ELISA before and after a 3-month course of albendazole treatment: at least one serum sample per patient from 13 patients (87%) contained measurable amounts of IL-4; samples from five patients (33%) measurable amounts of IL-10 and samples from only two patients (13%) measurable amounts of IFN-gamma. Clinical assessment at 1 year after the end of therapy showed that 11 of the 15 patients had responded clinically. Seven of these patients had lower IL-4 serum concentrations, two had unchanged and two undetectable amounts (pre- versus post-therapy, n = 11, P = 0.008). Conversely, of the patients who did not respond, three had higher and one patient unchanged serum IL-4 concentrations. Serum IL-10 10 levels also decreased in all patients who responded (3/5) and increased in all patients who did not (2/5). No association was found between cytokine concentrations and cyst characteristics or antibody levels. Overall these data suggest that serum IL-4 detection may be useful in the follow up of patients with cystic echinococcosis.
authors: Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Riganò
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Profumo
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Ioppolo
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Notargiacomo
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Teggi
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Siracusano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000923:Anticestodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000923:Anticestodal Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D015766:Albendazole