Assessment of Serum Interleukin-10 as a Marker of Severity in Dengue Virus Infection: A Cross-sectional Study

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