Original article / research
Assessment of Serum Interleukin-10 as a Marker of Severity in Dengue Virus Infection: A Cross-sectional Study
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Nithya Gomatheswari S.
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Thoothukudi Medical College, 3rd Mile, Kamaraj Nagar, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: nithyapothiraja40@gmail.com
Introduction: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) plays an important role in dengue pathogenesis, reflecting an immunosuppressive function that causes Interferon (IFN) resistance, followed by impaired immune clearance and a persistent infectious effect for acute viral infection.
Aim: To evaluate and compare IL-10 levels as a potential indicator of disease severity in dengue infection.
Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Government Thoothukudi Medical College, Tamil Nadu, India, from March to September 2023. A total of 315 clinically suspected dengue patients in the age group of 1 to 80 years were subjected to IgM Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). All samples that tested positive were considered confirmed dengue cases and were included in the study. Out of which 43 samples were positive for dengue (Group 1, n=28) and (Group 2, n=15). Group 1 included Dengue Fever (DF) with or without warning signs, Group 2 included severe dengue and Group 3 included 30 healthy volunteers. IL-10 was measured using the Diaclone ELISA kit. Patient’s demographic profiles and laboratory parameters were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v19.0 with Pearsons Chi-square test and One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Out of 315 samples, 43 were confirmed by Dengue IgM ELISA. Out of the total 43 positive samples, 24 (55.8%) were paediatric patients and 19 (44.2%) were adult patients. Twenty (46.5%) were males and Twenty Three (53.5%) were females, respectively. Out of 43 samples, 28 (65.1%) in Group 1 and 15 (34.9%) were in Group 2. There was a significant association (p<0.05) between the IL-10 and the dengue severity. The mean IL-10 in severe dengue cases (222±80.7 pg/mL, median=130) was significantly (p<0.0001) raised as compared to non-severe dengue (IL-10: 51.4±21.37, median=35) and healthy controls (4.05±0.45, median=3.5).
Conclusion: Early prediction of the severity of the disease will help in better management, ultimately benefiting the patients. The present study suggests that IL-10 may serve as an indicator for identifying patients with severe dengue and those with or without warning signs, highlighting the urgent need for a marker that reflects endothelial damage.
Anti-inflammatory cytokines, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Interferon resistance
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2026/78001.22563
Date of Submission: Jan 11, 2025
Date of Peer Review: Apr 02, 2025
Date of Acceptance: Jul 29, 2025
Date of Publishing: Mar 01, 2026
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: Funded by Tamil Nadu State Research Committee (2022-2023).
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA
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ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
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