Evaluation of Serum Levels of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) and Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) as Potential Biomarkers of Renal Tubular Damage in Brucellosis Patients

Abstract

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic and multisystemic disease that is widespread worldwide and can present with many different clinical conditions, ranging from asymptomatic to serious and fatal conditions. Brucellosis may be linked to renal tubular and acute kidney damage, nephrotic syndrome, and various types of nephropathies. Objective: Our research was carried out prospectively to investigate the relationship between brucellosis and various biochemical markers and particularly to investigate the role of renal tubular damage biomarkers. Methods: Demographic and biochemical data from 60 controls and 60 brucellosis patients were included in the study. Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were analyzed by. The diagnostic accuracy of KIM-1 and NGAL for brucellosis was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: According to our findings, significant differences of KIM-1 and NGAL were observed between brucellosis and healthy patients. A high AUC (area under the curve) value of 0.742 (95% CI: 0.616-0.868) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.729-0.941) was observed for KIM-1 and NGAL, respectively. Conclusion: Serum levels of KIM-1 and NGAL, which are renal tubular damage markers, where higher in Brucellosis than in healthy patients. These biomarkers can contribute to the rapid and accurate diagnosis of brucellosis regarding the involvement of nephropathies and to the standardization of comprehensive diagnostic warning indicators.