Is VEGF a marker of severity of scrub typhus infection?

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 305 - 310
• Main Authors: Mani, V. E., Chauhan, P. S., Kalita, J., Bhoi, S. K., Misra, U. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Biomarkers - blood; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Child; Child, Preschool; Doxycycline; Doxycycline - therapeutic use; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Glasgow Coma Scale; Growth factors; Hemoglobin; Humans; Internal Medicine; Laboratories; Male; Markers; Medical Microbiology; Middle Aged; Orientia tsutsugamushi; Original Article; Patients; Platelet Count; Receptors; Scrub typhus; Scrub Typhus - diagnosis; Scrub Typhus - drug therapy; Scrub Typhus - microbiology; Septicemia; Solid phases; Treatment Outcome; Typhus; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - blood; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 - blood; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 - blood; Vascular endothelial growth factor receptors; Young Adult; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Level; Septic Shock; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-015-2546-z

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors have been reported as severity markers of septicemia. Scrub typhus (ST) results in multi-organ dysfunction but the role of VEGF has not been evaluated. We report VEGF and its receptors in ST and its correlation with severity, outcome and laboratory findings. Thirty patients with ST diagnosed by solid phase immune chromatographic assay and Weil–Felix tests were included. Their clinical details, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), SOFA and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores and laboratory findings were noted. VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were done by ELISA at admission and repeated at 1 month. Outcome was defined at 1 month. Serum VEGF and VEGF-R1 levels were significantly higher and VEGFR2 was significantly lower in the ST patients compared to the controls. These levels significantly improved at 1 month. VEGF level correlated with SOFA score ( p  = 0.05) and SGPT ( p  = 0.04). VEGFR1 correlated with hemoglobin ( p  = 0.04), platelet count ( p  = 0.03), serum CK ( p  = 0.001), weakness ( p  = 0.04) and mRS score ( p  = 0.04). VEGFR2 did not correlate with any clinical or laboratory parameters. All the patients recovered with doxycycline. Serum VEGF and VEGFR1 levels increased in ST and suggest disease severity but do not predict outcome.