Relation between Cytokines and Brucella Arthritis, Spondylitis, and Sacroiliitis

Abstract

Cytokines are produced and secreted from T cells and other various cells. Cytokines play an effective role in the responses elicited by the immune system. As brucella infection is caused by an intracellular aerobic rod, cellular immunity has a considerable effect on this disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation between cytokines and brucellosis arthritis, spondylitis, and sacroiliitis. This descriptive case-control study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in Mashhad, Iran in 2010. The study population consisted of a case group comprising patients diagnosed with brucella arthritis with lower back pain and a control group comprising normal healthy participants. The diagnosis of brucellosis was investigated through history-taking, physical examinations, and serologic examinations. The interferon gamma (IFNγ), interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in the serum samples of both groups were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The IL-10 was significantly different in the brucella and control groups (P value=0.02). However, IL-2, IL-4, and TNFα were comparable between the brucella and control groups (P value=0.1). A significant difference was observed between IFNγ and brucella in the control group (P value=0.05). IFNγ and IL-10 levels were higher in the brucella group than in the control group.