Last update:
   02-Aug-2006
 

Arch Hellen Med, 23(2), March-April 2006, 173-177

ORIGINAL PAPER

Chitotriosidase in neonates with systemic fungal and common microbial infections

I. LABADARIDIS,1 E. DIMITRIOU,2 M. THEODORAKIS,1 A. VELEGRAKIS,3 G. KAFALIDIS,1 H. MICHELAKAKIS2
 1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, General Hospital Nikea, Piraeus,
2Institute of Child Health,"Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens,
3Mycology Reference Laboratory, University of Athens, Medical School, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE To investigate the behavior of chitotriosidase, a human chitinolytic enzyme produced mainly by activated macrophages, in neonates with fungal and common microbial infections.

METHOD Chitotriosidase activity was assayed in serial plasma and urine samples from 8 neonates with fungal infections (7/8 Candida albicans, 1/8 Aspergillus niger). At least 4 samples were investigated per neonate at one week intervals. Chitotriosidase activity was also determined in plasma and urine samples from 15 neonates on diagnosis of Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections.

RESULTS Increased chitotriosidase activity was found in plasma and/or urine in 7/8 neonates with fungal infections, ranging from 1.25-9 and 1.9-150 times the upper normal limits in plasma and urine respectively. Improvement of the clinical condition was associated with decline in chitotriosidase activity and vice versa. Increased activity, 1.9-12.5 and 1.5-40 times the upper normal limits in plasma and urine respectively, was also found in 13/15 neonates with bacterial infections.

CONCLUSIONS Éncreased activity of chitotriosidase is observed not only in fungal but also in microbial infections. As a result chitotriosidase activity cannot be used as a specific marker for fungal infections. However serial assays of the enzyme could be of value in monitoring the outcome of treatment of neonates with fungal infection.

Key words: Bacterial infections, Chitotriosidase, Fungal infections, Neonates.

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