Evaluation of New Biomarkers in The Diagnosis of Herpes Zoster Infections

Abstract

Background: Herpes Zoster is a neurotropic viral disease with notable inflammatory and neurological complications. And early diagnosis and treatment is still the way to go. Aims: This study was designed to investigate the diagnostic value of new biomarkers such as procalcitonin, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and miR-155 among Herpes Zoster infection patients. Methods: The study was a case–control cross-sectional study involving 44 patients diagnosed with Herpes Zoster and 66 healthy controls. Serum levels of procalcitonin and NSE were detected by ELISA, and expression levels of miR-155 was analyzed using qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed to assess differences between groups, correlations and diagnostic performance using ROC curve analysis. Results: The study identified significantly higher concentrations of procalcitonin (PC), NSE and miR-155 levels in patients, than controls (P < 0.01). All biomarkers performed well to excellent in diagnostic performance, with miR-155 having the highest sensitivity and specificity. In addition, the biomarkers studied displayed several significant positive correlations with each other indicating their biological role in disease pathophysiology. Conclusion: Procalcitonin, NSE and miR-155 are all potential diagnostic biomarkers of Herpes Zoster infection. A composite biomarker panel, especially including miR-155, may facilitate early diagnosis and a better understanding of disease mechanisms.

Keywords:

Herpes Zoster, Procalcitonin, NSE, miR-155

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