The
cytokine profile during acute chikungunya
infection that predicts future chronic
arthritis has not yet been investigated. We conducted a nested case-control study comparing serum
cytokine concentrations during acute chikungunya
infection in cases (n = 121) that reported the presence of chronic
joint pain versus age- and gender-matched controls (n = 121) who reported recovery at 20 months post
infection. We observed that a robust
cytokine response during acute
infection was correlated with a decreased incidence of chronic
joint pain and that low TNFα,
IL-13,
IL-2, and
IL-4 during acute
infection was predictive of chronic
joint pain. These data suggest that a robust
cytokine response is necessary for viral clearance and
cytokines that are related to immune tolerance during acute
infection may be protective for chronic
arthritis pathogenesis.