Serum cytokines associated with severity and complications of kala-azar.

Objectives: Recent clinical data suggest that severe kala-azar (or visceral leishmaniasis) is an exaggerated innate immune response mediated by inflammatory cytokines, leading to a systemic inflammatory syndrome similar to what is observed in malaria, sepsis and other diseases. We tested this hypothesis by measuring serum cytokines in individuals with kala-azar.

Methods: We compared patients with severe kala-azar (i.