title: Serum tau protein as a marker of disease activity in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O111-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome.
abstract: Tau protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum are elevated in patients with various central nervous system diseases. We investigated whether serum tau protein levels are useful for predicting and assessing disease activity of acute encephalopathy (AE) in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O111-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS; EHEC encephalopathy). Serum samples were obtained from 14 patients with EHEC O111/HUS, 20 patients with non-EHEC-related AE, and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. CSF samples were obtained from 2 patients with EHEC encephalopathy and 20 patients with non-EHEC-related AE. Tau protein levels and levels of several proinflammatory cytokines were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results were compared with the clinical features of EHEC encephalopathy, including magnetic resonance image (MRI) findings. Serum tau levels in patients with EHEC encephalopathy were significantly elevated compared with those in patients with EHEC O111/HUS without encephalopathy, patients with non-EHEC-related AE, and healthy controls. The ratio of CSF tau levels to serum tau levels was >1.0 in all patients with non-EHEC-related AE but <1.0 in 2 patients with EHEC encephalopathy. Serum tau protein levels increased rapidly and markedly in patients with severe EHEC 0111/HUS and encephalopathy when HUS occurred, but were not elevated in mild patients, even in the HUS phase. Furthermore, changes in serum tau protein levels in patients with EHEC encephalopathy were consistent with abnormalities on brain MRI and were positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokine levels. Our results indicate that serum tau protein might be useful to predict and assess disease activity of EHEC encephalopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Mondo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan. Electronic address: shimizum@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Iku
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ikeno
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Genomic Medicine, Department of Advanced Medicine, Medical Research Institute, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan.
authors.forename: Yo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Tonami General Hospital, Tonami, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Toyama City Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kaneda
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamahana
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taneichi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanegane
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kengo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furuichi
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Kanazawa Medical University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Kanazawa Medical University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yachie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D054324:Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C054369:MAPT protein, human; D016875:tau Proteins
keywords: Encephalopathy; Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli; Hemolytic uremic syndrome; Tau protein