Presepsin Levels of Patients with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Abstract

Levels of presepsin (a soluble cluster of differentiation subtype 14 [CD14]) are thought to increase in cases of bacterial infection. CD14 has also been found to play a role in the pathogenesis of various viral diseases. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic arboviral infection. Our study focuses on presepsin levels as a biomarker for CCHF. Serum presepsin levels in a CCHF group (n = 59) and control group (n = 28) were compared. Patients with CCHF were classified according to severity grading score as having mild, moderate, or severe infection and were allocated to corresponding subgroups (groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Presepsin levels were measured in serum samples by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The mean presepsin levels in the CCHF group as a whole and the healthy group were found to be significantly different (1,499.46 +/- 411.96 pg/ml and 430.68 +/- 61.21 pg/ml, respectively). The mean presepsin levels of the CCHF subgroups (1, 2 and 3) and the healthy group were also found to be significantly different (1,204.53 +/- 371.18, 1,464.21 +/- 338.37, 2,007.36 +/- 82.18, and 430.68 +/- 61.21 pg/ml, respectively) (p < 0.05). We also found that as the severity of the disease increased, the presepsin level also increased. We postulate that the presepsin levels could be used as a supportive biomarker for diagnosis and follow-up of the disease.