Post-treatment downregulation of type III interferons in patients with acute Brucellosis

Abstract

There is a limited number of clinical studies on interferon (IFN) levels in human brucellosis. The novel group of interferons, type III interferons, consists of four IFN-{lambda} (lambda) molecules called IFN-{lambda}1 or Interleukin-29 (IL-29), IFN-{lambda}2 or IL-28A, IFN-{lambda}3 or IL-28B, and IFN-{lambda}4, are not fully known. This study is one of the first studies of IL-28A and IL-29 levels in Brucellosis cases at the end of their treatment course. A total of 33 acute Brucellosis patients were included in this study. We considered changes in the levels of IL-28A and IL-29 in cases with acute brucellosis before and after treatment with standard therapy that referred to the Ayatollah Rohani Hospital in Babol, Northern Iran. Serum IL-29 and IL-28A (acute form: 56.4 +- 30.32 and 48.73 +- 27.72, respectively, and post-treatment: 40.15 +- 20.30 and 38.79 +- 22.66, respectively) levels were elevated significantly in acute brucellosis than after treatment (p [≤] 0.05). These findings indicate that considering biomarker levels in Brucellosis patients may be indicative of the chronicity of infection. In conclusion, we suggest that IL-29 and IL-28A levels may be valuable biomarkers for follow-up patients with brucellosis.