title: Circulating interleukin-18 and osteopontin are useful to evaluate disease activity in patients with tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  T helper type 1 (Th1) responses have been implicated in the protective immunity, pathophysiology and development of tuberculosis. However, it is still unclear which molecule(s) reflect disease activity in patients with tuberculosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  By specific enzyme immunoassays, circulating interferon-gamma. (IFN-gamma), interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-18 and osteopontin (OPN) were measured in 47 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 7 patients with miliary tuberculosis before anti-tuberculosis therapy, and also measured in 19 patients with tuberculosis before and after anti-tuberculosis therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Circulating IFN-gamma, IL-18 and OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis than in healthy controls, while there was no significant difference in levels of circulating IL-12 between tuberculosis patients and controls. Circulating IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-18 and OPN paralleled the extent of lung lesions, and circulating IFN-gamma, IL-18 and OPN paralleled the magnitude of fever in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Patients with miliary tuberculosis had extremely high levels of circulating OPN, IFN-gamma and IL-18. Circulating IL-18 and OPN were significantly decreased with anti-tuberculosis therapy, whereas circulating IL-12 and IFN-gamma were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among Th1 response associated molecules, circulating levels of IL-18 and OPN, but not IFN-gamma or IL-12, reflect disease activity in patients with tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin-Ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.forename: Noriharu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shijubo
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kon
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Shosaku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uede
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053495:Osteopontin; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; C506895:SPP1 protein, human; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D053495:Osteopontin; D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma