부산대학교 도서관

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious public health problem. The factors that can determine whether VL develops and progresses to severe form have not been fully identified, but a specific cellular immune response appears to play a key role. Therefore, understanding immunopathogenesis can be useful in preventing a serious clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: Bone marrow samples were collected from patients with severe VL (SVL) or non- severe VL (NSVL). Cytokine levels and parasitic load were analysed by RT- qPCR. There is a statistically significant difference in the leukocyte parameter in patients with SVL and NSVL compared with the control patients (p = .006 and p = .014, respectively). Results: Urea, alanine transaminase and albumin parameters had a significant difference p = .036, p = .039 and p = .017, respectively, between SVL and NSVL. Although high levels of IFN- γ, IL- 10, IL- 6 and TNF- α were present in all groups of individuals with VL, they were not statistically associated with severity. In patients with active VL, IFN- γ and IL- 10 were associated, respectively, with a reduction and increase in the parasite load, strong and significant positive association between IFN- γ and IL- 10 (rho = .627 and p = .003). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that VL stimulates an non- dichotomized inflammatory response between Th1/Th2 and that bone marrow is an important tissue for immune regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]