AJTMH Tropical Medicine and Hygiene News
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 54(2), 1996, pp. 164-168
Copyright © 1996 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Thuma, P. E.
Right arrow Articles by Gordeuk, V. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Thuma, P. E.
Right arrow Articles by Gordeuk, V. R.

Serum Neopterin, Interleukin-4, and Interleukin-6 Concentrations in Cerebral Malaria Patients and the Effect of Iron Chelation Therapy

Philip E. Thuma, Gunter Weiss, Manfred Herold AND Victor R. Gordeuk
Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia

To determine if iron chelation therapy alters immune responses in children with cerebral malaria, we retrospectively measured mean serum levels of neopterin, interleukin-4 (IL-4), and IL-6 in children who received desferrioxamine B or placebo for three days in addition to quinine-based therapy. Mean levels of neopterin, IL-4, and IL-6 were elevated above the expected normal range on admission. Neopterin correlated significantly with the degree of anemia, IL-4 with the duration of fever prior to admission, and IL-6 with parasite density. Serial measurements of cytokines and neopterin were performed over four days in 39 children, 21 randomized to receive desferrioxamine B and 18 to receive placebo. Mean concentrations of neopterin did not change significantly in either group while levels of IL-4 increased significantly in the placebo group (P = 0.04) but remained unchanged in the desferrioxamine B group. Interleukin-6 concentrations decreased markedly in both groups (P < 0.025). Stable IL-4 levels in children given desferrioxamine B may represent an inhibition of the T helper lymphocyte-2 (TH-2) response resulting from a strengthened TH-1 response associated with iron chelation therapy. Any effect of iron chelation on immunity in the setting of severe malaria will have to be confirmed in future prospective investigations.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.