Inflammatory molecules expression pattern for identifying pathogen species in febrile patient serum.

Inflammatory molecules, such as cytokines and chemokines, have been considered markers for bacterial or viral infection in serum of patients in numerous studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether we were able to identify the pathogen species through patterns of inflammatory molecules. A total of 132 patients with elevated body temperature (tympanic temperature, >38.3°C) were recruited for this study. The concentrations of various inflammatory molecules in the patients' serum were evaluated using a cytometric bead array. Higher concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 were detected in bacterial infection groups (patients with positive and negative blood cultures), as compared with the viral infection group. Viral infection (including influenza and dengue viral infections) was associated with higher concentrations of interferon-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), as compared with the bacterial infection group. In addition, IL-8 levels in the gram-negative bacteria group were higher, as compared with the gram-positive bacteria group. However, IL-8 was insufficient for bacterial species identification. By contrast, dengue virus infection induced the highest serum level of IP-10 among all groups. In conclusion, detection of the patterns of inflammatory molecules may aid the subsequent management and treatment modalities in hospitals, although evaluation of these molecules alone may be insufficient for identifying the pathogen species.