Interlukine-8 Levels in Patients with Acute Brucellosis and Its Relation with the Treatment

Brucellosis is a worldwide bacterial zoonotic disease. Infection with brucella species results in the activation of cell-mediated immune response. The interaction between T-helper cell type 1 (Th1) /Th2 cytokines determines the outcome of disease. The analysis of cytokine levels is valuable to determine the role of immune system in brucella pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of serum interlukine-8 (IL-8) and its relation with treatment acute brucellosis patients. Thirty-three acute brucellosis patients and 19 controls were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis of brucellosis was on the basis of the symptoms، clinical findings and standard tube agglutination test. IL-8 levels were tested in controls and patients before and after treatment by ELISA. IL-8 levels were significantly lower in brucellosis cases compared to controls. At the end of the treatment، the serum levels of this cytokine increased but there is no significant difference between this cytokine levels before and after treatment. This study showed that IL-8 was lower in brucellosis cases and after treatment، the serum levels of IL-8 increased in these patients. Further studies with more patients are needed to determine the role of this cytokine in the pathogenesis of brucellosis.