Interferon-Gamma and Interleukin 17 Patterns in Patients Infected With L. Major: Early Dermal Lesions

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is consider from the global neglected health diseases, which are an endemic in many countries. It caused by obligatory intracellular protozoanreturn to genus Leishmania and invades phagocytic cells. The current study is aimed to measure interferon-gamma and interleukin 17 levels in serum of patients with L. major. It was conductedin Dermatology Department/ Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital inThi-Qarprovince, south of Iraqfor the period from the beginning of January to the end of December 2020. This study included 110 patients haveinfected withcutaneous leishmaniasis, which they wereclinically diagnosed. Furthermore, the samples were taken from early dermal lesions (symptomsappeared on less than 4 weeks) in order to done molecular examination with Nested-PCR technique, and then peripheral blood collected for a measure of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)and interleukin 17 (IL-17) concentration levels in patients’ sera by ELISA assay. The findings of DNA amplification of kinetoplast minicircle DNA gene (kDNA) showedL. major in 31 (32.6%) Nested-PCR products, which generated at 560 bp. The results showedan insignificant decreasingin IFN-γ level, while IL-17 level was increased in early cutaneous lesionsamongthe patients infected with L. major. Generally, the study confirmed that Leishmania parasites inhibit and/or modulate signaling pathways of some cytokines in the host cell, which effect on other immune cells in order its own survival