title: High serum levels of neopterin in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and its relation with mortality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neopterin is generated and released in increased amounts by macrophages upon activation by interferon-gamma during cellular immune response. In this study, we aimed to investigate serum neopterin levels in patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and its clinical significance as a predictor factor of mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neopterin concentrations on the first day of hospitalization were measured in serum samples from 51 CCHF patients. Serum neopterin levels and other clinical-laboratory parameters for fatal and nonfatal CCHF patients were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum neopterin levels (73.22+/-54.30 nmol/L) were highly elevated in all CCHF patients (p<0.0001) with higher levels in fatal group (153.66+/-81.34 nmol/L, p=0.0001) compared to nonfatal disease (55.99+/-24.09 nmol/L). In univariate analysis, the level of neopterin on the first day of hospitalization, bleeding, platelet count, aspartate transferase and lactate dehydrogenase were associated with mortality. In multivariate analysis, only the serum level of neopterin was associated with mortality. As a mortality risk factor, area under the curve was 0.939 (p=0.0001, 95% confidence interval: 0.85-1.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this first study of serum neopterin levels for CCHF, elevated serum neopterin level showing strong activation of monocytes/macrophages was a risk factor for CCHF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, 06100 Sihhiye, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. pinaronguru@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Onguru
authors.forename: Emin Ozgur
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Akgul
authors.forename: Esragul
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Akinci
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: Yasemin Gulcan
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erbay
authors.forename: Fatma Nurhayat
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Bayazit
authors.forename: Hurrem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bodur
authors.forename: Kemal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Erbil
authors.forename: Cengiz Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Acikel
authors.forename: Mustafa Aydin
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cevik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D019798:Neopterin