Assessment of TGF-β and IL10 levels in human brucellosis

The recent study assessed TGF-β and IL-10 as immunosuppressive cytokines of the cell mediated immunity (CMI) against Brucella in the serum of some brucellosis patients. Serum from 15 patients and 15 healthy individuals were obtained, and then cytokine concentrations above were investigated. Concentrations of TGF-β induced in the serum of acute patients (89.73 ± 15.55 ng/ml) were higher than healthy group (58.86 ± 17.89 ng/ml, P < 0.0001). While, no significant differences were found in the concentration of IL-10 between two groups. Based upon the findings of our study, the contribution of these cytokines to the pathobiology of infection had been shown. Therefore, assessment of immunosuppressive cytokines as TGF-β and IL-10 levels may be a potential diagnostic strategy for patients with brucellosis.