Publication details
Serum and cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit as a marker of neuroaxonal damage in tick-borne encephalitis.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of General Virology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/jgv.0.001743 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001743 |
| Keywords | biomarker; brain injury; flavivirus; neurofilament; tick-borne encephalitis |
| Description | Extensive axonal and neuronal loss is the main cause of severe manifestations and poor outcomes in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H) is an essential component of axons, and its detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or serum can indicate the degree of neuroaxonal damage. We examined the use of pNF-H as a biomarker of neuroaxonal injury in TBE. In 89?patients with acute TBE, we measured CSF levels of pNF-H and 3 other markers of brain injury (glial fibrillary acidic protein, S100B and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1) and compared the results to those for patients with meningitis of other aetiology and controls. Serum pNF-H levels were measured in 80?patients and compared with findings for 90 healthy blood donors. TBE patients had significantly (P<0.001) higher CSF pNF-H levels than controls as early as hospital admission. Serum pNF-H concentrations were significantly higher in samples from TBE patients collected at hospital discharge (P<0.0001) than in controls. TBE patients with the highest peak values of serum pNF-H, exceeding 10?000?pg?ml-1, had a very severe disease course, with coma or tetraplegia. Patients requiring intensive care had significantly higher serum pNF-H levels than other TBE patients (P<0.01). Elevated serum pNF-H values were also observed in patients with incomplete recovery (P<0.05). Peak serum pNF-H levels correlated positively with the duration of hospitalization (P=0.005). Measurement of pNF-H levels in TBE patients might be useful for assessing disease severity and determining prognosis. |