CYTOKINES IN DENGUE VIRUS-INFECTIONS - ROLE OF CYTOKINES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER

Dengue virus infections are a serious health problem in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Epidemiological and immunological studies have suggested that severe dengue illness, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is induced by immunopathological mechanisms. Recent progress in cytokine research has provided new insights into the pathogeneses of DHF and rate speculate that cytokines such ar TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-2 and IFN-gamma as well as other chemical mediators play important roles in the pathogenesis of DHF. In this paper we provide our view of the immunopathological mechanisms of DHF with a focus on cytokines contributing to plasma leakage, the most prominent feature of DHF.