TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND INTERLEUKIN-8 SECRETION AND THE ACUTE-PHASE RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH BACTERIAL AND TUBERCULOUS OSTEOMYELITIS
Caw. Evans et al., TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA, INTERLEUKIN-6, AND INTERLEUKIN-8 SECRETION AND THE ACUTE-PHASE RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH BACTERIAL AND TUBERCULOUS OSTEOMYELITIS, The Journal of infectious diseases, 177(6), 1998, pp. 1582-1587
Osteomyelitis, or bone infection, is a major worldwide cause of morbid
ity. Treatment is frequently unsatisfactory, yet little is known about
pathogenesis of infection. Plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interl
eukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 concentrations mere measured before and after l
ipopolysaccharide stimulation of whole blood from patients with bacter
ial and tuberculous osteomyelitis and from controls. Patients with bac
terial and tuberculous osteomyelitis mounted an acute-phase response a
nd were anemic and febrile. However, plasma IL-6 concentrations were s
ignificantly elevated in only tuberculous osteomyelitis patients (vs.
controls, P < .05). IL-6 concentrations correlated with erythrocyte se
dimentation rate, C-reactive protein level, and plasma albumin concent
ration, all acute-phase markers. There were no other correlations betw
een cytokine concentrations and clinical data. Following ex vivo stimu
lation, TNF, IL-6, and IL-8 were secreted equally by patients and cont
rols. Ln summary, tuberculous osteomyelitis is characterized by elevat
ed systemic IL-6 concentrations associated with an acute-phase respons
e. For further insight into immunopathology of osteomyelitis, studies
on infected bone are required.