Evaluation of Serum Interleuken-10 & Interferon-γ in Patients with Multiple Warts after Treatment with BCG Vaccine

Abstract

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are DNA viruses that belong to the family papovaviridae. HPV infections are generally long lasting, and a host immune response to infection is hard to detect.These viruses infect epithelia in humans and animals and cause benign hyperproliferative lesions, commonly called warts or papillomas, which can occasionally progress to squamous cell cancer. Warts are treated with different modalities. Their combination usually has better results. Destructive methods are common but their main disadvantage is scarring. There are also virucidal and antimitotic methods. IL-10 and IFN- are members of Th2 and Th1, respectively. IFN- has antiviral activity, while IL-10 is a potent inhibitor of IFN- production. A lot of works attempted to prove the efficacy of BCG vaccine as an immunotherapy in warts and other immunomediated diseases whether by topical application, intradermal administrationor intralesional injection. The aim of this work was to evaluate the level of serum IL-10, IFN-γ before and after multiple intradermal injections of BCG vaccine, and to compare the levels in clinical responders versus non responders and to evaluate its possible clinical efficacy in the treatment of warts. This study was carried out on 25 male patients with more than 3 viral warts and negative tuberculin skin test attending the outpatient clinic of Police Hospital of soldiers during the period from March 2013 to March 2014 as cases and 25 healthy individuals as controls. Afterfull clinical evaluation, tuberculin testing and intradermal BCG vaccination therapy were done. Two blood samples were taken from patients One sample before starting treatment (week 0) and the second at week 8 after continuous BCG vaccine injection every 4 weeks. Interleukin-10 and IFN- were measured by ELISA technique. The present study was single-blinded, controlled and prospective carried out on 25 male patients with viral warts attending the outpatient clinic of Police Hospital of soldiers during the period from March 2013 to March 2014 as patients and 25 healthy individuals as controls. Controls and patients were matched with age, sex and residence. All patients enrolled in our study were male patients presented with viral warts as they recruded from the outpatient clinic of Police Hospital of soldiers.