Serum prolidase level in patients with brucellosis and its possible relationship with pathogenesis of the disease: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND/AIM: Changes in collagen metabolism and fibroblastic activity may play a role in the pathogenesis of brucellosis. The prolidase enzyme plays an important role in collagen synthesis. We aimed to investigate the association of prolidase levels with brucellosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum prolidase levels in 20 patients newly diagnosed with brucellosis were compared with levels in 30 healthy control subjects. Patients with brucellosis were reassessed 3 months later for prolidase, other laboratory measurements, and response to treatment. RESULTS: The levels of serum prolidase were significantly higher in brucellosis patients compared with those of healthy controls. Prolidase, sedimentation, and C-reactive protein levels were significantly lower after antibrucellosis treatment than before treatment. CONCLUSION: The current study is the first to demonstrate significantly increased serum prolidase levels in patients with brucellosis compared with healthy controls. Prolidase levels also significantly decreased with antibrucellosis treatment. This finding provides a new experimental basis to understand the pathogenesis of brucellosis in relation to collagen metabolism. The increase in serum prolidase levels might be related to several factors such as tissue destruction, increased fibroblastic activity, and granuloma formation, all of which are involved in the natural history of brucellosis.