Serum levels of cytokines in patients envenomed by Tityus serrulatus scorpion sting

Abstract

Seventeen patients stung by Tityus serrulatus scorpion were classified as mild (pain at the site of the sting, n = 6), moderate (local pain and one of the following manifestations: vomiting, psychomotor agitation, prostration, sweating, tachypnea, tachycardia and mild arterial hypertension, n = 10) and severe cases (equal moderate cases plus cardiac failure, pulmonary edema and shock, n = 1). Venous blood was sampled for biochemical and hematological analysis and for IL-1alpha, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF ELISAs at the time of hospital admission, 6 h (moderate and severe cases), and 12, 18, 36 and 72 h (severe case) later. Ten age-matched healthy volunteers were used as control. Increased serum levels of IL-1alpha was noticed in all patients, high levels of IL-6, IFN-gamma and GM-CSF were observed only in a patient with severe envenomation. Our data suggest that a systemic inflammatory response-like syndrome is triggered during severe envenomation caused by T. serrulatus sting and that release of cytokines may be involved in this response.