Study of Serum level of interleukin-17 in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Background: The most common and dangerous infection seen in cirrhosis patients, particularly those with ascites, is spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). The pro-inflammatory cytokine family, which includes interleukin-17 (IL-17), aids in the host's defense against external infections. By attracting neutrophils to infection locations, it reduces local tissue inflammation. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether serum levels of IL-17 could serve as a useful indicator for identifying SBP in cirrhotic patients. Patients and methods: 89 patients with cirrhotic-induced ascites were included in this research 46 of them had SBP and 43 patients did not have SBP. Following standard examinations, bacteriological culture and ascitic polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMNL) count were performed on each case. Additionally, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) test based on antibodies was used to measure the serum IL-17 levels. Results: Serum IL-17 levels were markedly higher in SBP individuals than in non-SBP. At a cutoff >135.41 pg/mL, IL-17 showed 91.3% sensitivity, Specificity reached 95.3%, while diagnostic accuracy was 93.3%. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.983, The associated p-value was less than 0.001, indicating strong statistical relevance. When IL-17 was combined with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, diagnostic performance improved further, yielding 95.7% sensitivity, 95.3% specificity, and an overall accuracy of 95.5%. The AUC for the combined approach was 0.992, supported by a p-value <0.001. Conclusion: Serum IL-17 may serve as a reliable biomarker for detection of SBP in individuals with liver cirrhosis.