title: Evaluating the validity of serum neopterin and chitotriosidase levels in follow-up brucellosis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Due to its high morbidity rates brucellosis, a systemic inflammatory disease, is still an important health problem, particularly in Mediterranean regions. One-third of the patients are characterized with musculoskeletal involvement. Principally in chronic cases, there are difficulties in the follow-up of therapy success. Radiological imaging methods are used in musculoskeletal brucellosis in addition to standard serological tests. Two macrophage products, namely neopterin (NPT) and chitotriosidase (ChT), are used as novel markers in order to reflect the status of inflammatory diseases. In this study, we aimed to test the validity of these markers in follow-up of patients with brucellosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 40 brucellosis cases were included in the study and 27 healthy individuals were used as controls. Twenty of the brucellosis patients were presented with sacroiliac joint involvement. A 6-week treatment of doxycycline combined with rifampicin or streptomycin was used to treat brucellosis. Clinical observations and serological outcome were used to determine whether treatment was successful or not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the 20 brucellosis patients without musculoskeletal involvement healed with the first cure of treatment, but all of the brucella-sacroiliitis patients had to be retreated. In addition to routine testing, serum NPT and ChT levels were evaluated after each treatment. The results presented a clear fall in both NPT and ChT levels in parallel with the serological data of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, NPT as well as ChT seems to be a useful marker in the follow-up of brucellosis patients and for evaluating the success of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Gulhane Military Medical Academy Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology Department, Ankara, Turkey. coskunomer23@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.forename: Sukrü
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oter
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yaman
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.forename: Can Polat
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Eyigun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006596:Hexosaminidases / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012293:Rifampin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019798:Neopterin; D006596:Hexosaminidases; C086400:chitotriosidase; D004318:Doxycycline; D012293:Rifampin; D013307:Streptomycin