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Infection and Immunity, July 2003, p. 4212-4216, Vol. 71, No. 7
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.7.4212-4216.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Inflammatory Cytokine Response to Vibrio vulnificus Elicited by Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Chronic Alcohol Users Is Associated with Biomarkers of Cellular Oxidative Stress

Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine,¹ Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland 21201²

Received 23 January 2003/ Returned for modification 20 February 2003/ Accepted 22 April 2003

Vibrio vulnificus is the leading cause of death in the United States associated with the consumption of raw seafood, particularly oysters. In epidemiological studies, primary septicemia and inflammation-mediated septic shock caused by V. vulnificus is strongly associated with liver disease, often in the context of chronic alcohol abuse. The present study was undertaken to determine whether clinical biomarkers of liver function or cellular oxidative stress are associated with peripheral blood mononuclear cell inflammatory cytokine responses to V. vulnificus. Levels of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha elicited in response to V. vulnificus and measured in cell supernatants were not associated with the liver biomarkers aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or the AST/ALT ratio. In contrast, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were associated with the release of all four cytokines (IL-1ß [R² = 0.382; P = 0.006], IL-6 [R² = 0.393; P = 0.005], IL-8 [R² = 0.487; P = 0.001], and TNF- [R² = 0.292; P = 0.021]). Those individuals with below-normal GSH levels produced significantly less proinflammatory cytokines in response to V. vulnificus. We hypothesize that persons with markers for cellular oxidative stress have increased susceptibility to V. vulnificus septicemia.

Editor: F. C. Fang

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