title: Serum levels of sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2 and CXCL9 correlate with disease activity in adult type paracoccidioidomycosis.
abstract: Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is the most common systemic mycosis in Latin America. A major problem in the management of PCM is to determine the best time to discontinue therapy due to the high relapse rate among patients. Soluble TNF receptors (sTNF-R) levels and chemokines are associated with disease activity in several infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The aim of the present work was to evaluate levels of sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2 and chemokines in serum of patients with adult type of PCM, before and after antifungal therapy, and to correlate those levels to disease activity. Concentrations of sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2 and CXCL9 were higher in untreated patients and decreased progressively with treatment. The serum marker with the best accuracy to discriminate PCM cases from controls was sTNF-R2. sTNF-R1 did not drop to control levels before 36 months of treatment. CCL2 and CCL3 levels were low at baseline in PCM patients, raised significantly after 12 months of treatment and diminished thereafter. CCL24 levels were higher after 36 months of antifungal therapy in PCM patients. CCL11 levels were not statistically different from control subjects. sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2 and CXCL9 may be useful as laboratory parameters to assess disease activity in PCM patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Alfredo Balena 190, Santa Efigênia, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: Mauro M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Stanley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Maria C N
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Enio R P
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Pedroso
authors.forename: Antonio L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D054423:Chemokine CCL24; D054405:Chemokine CCL3 / Q000097:blood; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I / Q000097:blood*; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II / Q000097:blood*; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C111835:CCL2 protein, human; C515484:CCL24 protein, human; C515429:CCL3 protein, human; C080810:CXCL9 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D054423:Chemokine CCL24; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D047889:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II