
Sustained elevated levels of C-reactive protein and ferritin in pulmonary tuberculosis patients remaining culture positive upon treatment initiation
2017; Public Library of Science; Volume: 12; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1371/journal.pone.0175278
ISSN1932-6203
AutoresPryscila Fernandes Campino Miranda, Leonardo Gil-Santana, Marina G. Oliveira, Eliene Denites Duarte Mesquita, Elisângela Silva, Anneloek Rauwerdink, Frank Cobelens, Martha Maria Oliveira, Bruno B. Andrade, Afrânio Lineu Kritski,
Tópico(s)Iron Metabolism and Disorders
ResumoBackground Clinical trials that evaluate new anti-tubercular drugs and treatment regimens take years to complete due to the slow clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and the lack of early biomarkers that predict treatment outcomes. Host Inflammation markers have been associated with tuberculosis (TB) pathogenesis. In the present study, we tested if circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin reflect mycobacterial loads and inflammation in pulmonary TB (PTB) patients undergoing anti-tuberculous therapy (ATT). Methods Prospective measurements of CRP and ferritin, used as readouts of systemic inflammation, were performed in cryopreserved serum samples from 165 Brazilian patients with active PTB initiating ATT. Associations between levels of these laboratory parameters with mycobacterial loads in sputum as well as with sputum conversion at day 60 of ATT were tested. Results Circulating levels of both ferritin and CRP gradually decreased over time on ATT. At pre-treatment, concentrations of these parameters were unable to distinguish patients with positive from those with negative acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in sputum cultures. However, patients who remained with positive cultures at day 60 of ATT exhibited heightened levels of these inflammatory markers compared to those with negative cultures at that time point. Conclusions CRP and Ferritin levels in serum may be useful to identify patients with positive cultures at day 60 of ATT.
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