ABSTRACT
Dengue fever poses a significant global health threat, with symptoms including dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Each year, India experiences fatal dengue outbreaks with severe manifestations. The primary cause of severe inflammatory responses in dengue is a cytokine storm. Individuals with a secondary dengue infection of a different serotype face an increased risk of complications due to antibody-dependent enhancement. Therefore, it is crucial to identify potential risk factors and biomarkers for effective disease management. In the current study, we assessed the prevalence of dengue infection in and around Aligarh, India, and explored the role of cytokines, including CXCL5, CXCL9, and CCL17, in primary and secondary dengue infections, correlating them with various clinical indices. Among 1,500 suspected cases, 367 tested positive for dengue using Real-Time PCR and ELISA. In secondary dengue infections, the serum levels of CXCL5, CXCL9, and CCL17 were significantly higher than in primary infections (P < 0.05). Dengue virus (DENV)-2 showed the highest concentrations of CXCL5 and CCL17, whereas DENV-1 showed the highest concentrations of CXCL9. Early detection of these cytokines could serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing severe dengue, and downregulation of these cytokines may prove beneficial for the treatment of severe dengue infections.
List of abbreviations
DENV | = | Dengue virus |
DENV-1 | = | Dengue virus serotype-1 |
DENV-2 | = | Dengue virus serotype-2 |
DENV-3 | = | Dengue virus serotype-3 |
DENV-4 | = | Dengue virus serotype-4 |
ELISA | = | Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay |
AUC | = | Area under curve |
K-S test | = | Kolmogorov–Smirnov test |
AMU | = | Aligarh Muslim University |
DHR | = | Department of Health Research |
ICMR | = | Indian Council of Medical Research |
Acknowledgments
Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2024R39), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.
Institutional review board statement
Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, AMU, Aligarh, India
Informed consent statement
Written informed consent was obtained from all patients and their caregivers.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.