Brucellosis and inflammatory markers: data from south-east province of Turkey

Abstract

DOI: 10.4328/JCAM.5906 Received: 27.05.2018 Accepted: 06.06.2018 Published Online: 10.06.2018 Printed: 01.11.2018 J Clin Anal Med 2018;9(6): 578-81 Corresponding Author: Selçuk Nazik, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Kahramanmaraş, 46100, Turkey. GSM: +905055019161 F.: +90 3443003434 E-Mail: dr.selcuknazik@hotmail.com ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0587-0104 Abstract Aim: Brucellosis is the most common zoonosis in the world. It is commonly seen in developing countries and causes economic loss. Brucellosis is a major public health problem. Therefore, early diagnosis of brucellosis is very important. The current study aims to investigate WBC, CRP, ESR, NLR, PLR and MPV levels, when brucellosis was first diagnosed. Material and Method: The study included a total of 394 patients who were enrolled at our hospital between the dates of January 2007 and June 2017. Among these patients 197 were cases of brucellosis and 197 were healthy controls. Results: WBC values were statistically significantly lower in the patients with brucellosis, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Otherwise, NLR, CRP, ESR and MPV values were statistically significantly higher in the patients with brucellosis, compared to the control group (<0.001, 0.005, 0.001, 0.042, p values respectively). PLR values did not differ statistically significantly between the groups (p = 0.468). Discussion: NLR is obtained from a whole blood count. NLR increases in inflammatory conditions and this increase are regarded as a marker of systemic inflammation. In a study, it was determined that NLR values were significantly higher in the brucellosis group than the control group (p = 0.032). Mean platelet volume indicates platelet size and activity. It is also used as a marker of platelet dysfunction. Increased MPV level is associated with thrombotic disorders and endothelial dysfunction. In the study by Aktar et al. MPV values were significantly higher in the brucellosis group than in the control group (p=0.026). Conclusion: NLR and MPV have been shown to be important markers that can be used in the first diagnosis of brucellosis.