Relationship between hematopoietic growth factors levels and hematologicalparameters in argentine hemorrhagic fever

Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) is a viral disease caused by Junin virus and characterized by hematologic and neurological involvement. The main hem atologic features are leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and bone marrow hypopla sia, Hematopoietic growth factors serum levels were measured by ELISA techn ique in forty-eight patients with confirmed diagnosis of AHF. Patients were classified according to the clinical picture in 15 severe (SCF), 17 modera te (MoCF), and 16 mild (MiCF) cases. Erythropoietin levels were decreased i n 28 of 45 patients and raised in 4 SCF patients. Twenty-four of 38 patient s had high G-CSF levels at admittance in accordance with clinical picture s everity, while IL-3, GM-CSF, and TGF-beta were normal in most cases. A dire ct correlation was found between G-CSF and TNF-alpha levels. Thrombopoietin levels were found to be raised in 19 of 21 patients. In conclusion, the lo w levels of Epo may contribute to the severe bone marrow erythroblastopenia described in AHF patients, while G-CSF seems to be a marker of illness sev erity. Am. J. Hematol. 64:1-6, 2000. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.