Elevated serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in patients with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

Prospective case-control study, undertaken to investigate serum cytokine and chemokine concentrations during all clinical phases and in different clinical types of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

METHODS

Serum was collected at various disease phases from patients with HFRS (n = 35) and healthy control subjects (n = 10). Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-4, interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-8, interferon inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (also known as 'regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted' [RANTES]) were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

RESULTS

Serum concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-8, IP-10 and RANTES (but not IL-4) were significantly higher in patients compared with controls. Highest concentrations were generally found during the febrile, hypotensive and oliguric disease phases, as well as in clinically severe and critical cases.

CONCLUSION

Serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines increased in line with disease severity in HFRS patients.