The Relation Between Serum Alpha Defensin-1 Levels with Clinical Course and Prognosis in Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Abstract

Aim: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic infection characterized by fever and bleeding. Alpha-defensin-1 (AD-1) is an antimicrobial peptide. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the clinical course and prognosis of CCHF and AD-1 serum levels, and also to examine the role of AD-1 in the pathogenesis of the disease. Material and Methods: Fifty patients diagnosed with CCHF and hospitalized at the Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, and 38 healthy control were included in this study. Serum AD-1 levels were measured using ELISA methods and compared between the groups. Results: Serum AD-1 levels in the patients were significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.017). Of the patients, 18 (36%) were classified as severe clinical course, 16 (32%) as moderate clinical course, and 16 (32%) as mild clinical course. There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups in terms of serum AD-1 levels (p=0.729). Median serum AD-1 levels were 171.0 (range, 126.8-221.2) ng/ml in the fatal cases, and 118.7 (range, 91.9-183.3) ng/ml in the surviving patients, and the difference between these two groups was statistically significant (p=0.014). Conclusion: As a result, the increased serum AD-1 levels in CCHF patients, remained higher in severe course patients and in the fatal cases. On the basis of these results, AD-1 appears to indicate the clinical course and provide useful information about mortality. More extensive research should be performed to make generalizations on this subject.

Keywords

• alpha defensın-1
• antimicrobial peptide
• crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever.
• alfa defensin-1
• antimikrobiyal peptidler
• kırım-kongo kanamalı ateşi