Plasma cytokines in paediatric typhoidal salmonellosis: correlation with clinical course and outcome
Document Type
Article
Department
Paediatrics and Child Health
Abstract
We evaluated the clinical profile, outcome and serial plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations in 38 consecutive children (aged 6 months-14 years) admitted with culture-proven multidrug-resistant typhoid. All children received therapy for 14 days with either i.v. ceftriaxone or oral cefixime, with comparable outcome. Concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were significantly elevated in over 50% of the cases and correlated with clinical severity of illness as quantitated by the typhoid morbidity score. Sequential measurements revealed a significant decrease in IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations within 7 days of initiation of therapy (P<0.05). While no clear relationship was seen with time-to-defervescence, the failure rate was significantly higher in children with baseline serum IL-6 values >400 pg/ml (P<0.05). Our data suggest that plasma cytokine activity is frequently elevated in children with typhoidal salmonellosis, and IL-6 concentrations show a correlation with clinical severity and recovery from the illness.
Publication (Name of Journal)
The Journal of Infection
Recommended Citation
Bhutta, Z. A.,
Mansoorali, N.,
Hussain, R.
(1997). Plasma cytokines in paediatric typhoidal salmonellosis: correlation with clinical course and outcome. The Journal of Infection, 35(3), 253-256.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_women_childhealth_paediatr/579