Cytokine Profiling to Determine Cataract Causing Infectious Agents
21 Jan 2015 to
27 Apr 2015
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Abstract: There is a high prevalence of cataract induced blindness in El Salvador. The research done during the previous semester was focused on genetics, nutrition, and environmental factors. This semester focused on infectious agents that are capable of causing cataracts, such as Toxoplasma gondii, Mycobacterium leprae, and Onchocerca volvulus. Observing the immune response can determine the presence of these agents and connect them to being the cause of the cataracts. In this experiment, samples were provided by 6 individuals, ages 18 to 70 for cytokine analysis. 12 cytokines (IL1a, IL1B, IL2, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL12, IL13, IL17A, and GM-CSF) were tested using ELISA and absorbances of the plate were read using a microplate reader at 450 nm. There were significant differences in cytokine concentrations in particular individuals, specifically samples 3, 5, and 6. Sample 3 showed higher IL1a, IL1b, and IL8 concentrations. Sample 5 showed a high concentration of IL1a and IL1b cytokines. Finally, sample 6 showed a high concentration of IL13.