{
  "abstract": "Background Identifying therapeutic targets that modify the host immune response has the potential to improve outcome in herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis. We aimed to determine potential therapeutic targets by exploring the relationship between host inflammatory mediators and neuroglial injury, viral load, and disease outcome.Methods We measured 48 mediators and 4 biomarkers of neuroglial injury in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from 55 patients with HSV encephalitis and correlated levels of markers with clinical outcome scores and temporal lobe volumes on MRI. We determined the CSF HSV viral load using the RealStar HSV PCR Kit.Results Temporal lobe volume positively correlated with CSF IL-1β and both CSF and serum M.CSF levels. Good outcome scores positively correlated with CSF IL-7 and GM-CSF, and inversely correlated with serum IL-6 and both CSF and serum M.CSF. Strong negative correlations were found between good outcome scores and serum Tau and GFAP. No significant correlation was found between HSV viral load and neuroglial injury, brain oedema, or disease outcomes.Conclusion Host proinflammatory cytokine response, rather than HSV viral load, was associated with neuroglial injury and disease severity in HSV encephalitis. GM-CSF and IL-7 are potential therapeutic targets for adjuvant therapy in HSV encephalitis.ellulm@liverpool.ac.uk",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool"
      ],
      "name": "Egbe Franklyn"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool"
      ],
      "name": "Dunai Cordelia"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool"
      ],
      "name": "Hetherington Claire"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool"
      ],
      "name": "Boardman Sarah"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool",
        "The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Benedict"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Liverpool",
        "The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust"
      ],
      "name": "Ellul Mark"
    }
  ],
  "title": "227 Protein biomarkers of neuroglial injury and inflammation in herpes simplex virus encephalitis",
  "uid": "b291309f-9018-59a5-85cf-59500e56f80e"
}