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Interleukin-6 in Bacterial Infection and Sepsis: Innocent Bystander or Essential Mediator?

  • Conference paper
Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 1999

Part of the book series: Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((YEARBOOK,volume 1999))

Abstract

Interleukin (IL)-6 is a member of the cytokine network that can not be simply classified as a pro- or an anti-inflammatory cytokine. It was originally described under many different names, including interferon (IFN)-β2, 26K factor, B-cell stimulatory factor, and hybridoma/plasmacytoma growth factor. In 1987, these seemingly unrelated factors turned out to be one and the same protein. In 1989 it was recommended that the provisional names be replaced by the term ‘IL-6’ [1]. It has been recognized for many years that the circulating levels of IL-6 increase in a variety of infectious, and non-infectious, conditions. IL-6 can be detected in the circulation of the vast majority of patients with sepsis, and the extent of IL-6 release during sepsis carries a strong predictive value for a bad prognosis (see below). Nonetheless, the scientific community has long considered IL-6 as ‘an innocent bystander’ rather than a mediator directly involved in pathogenetic mechanisms operative during sepsis. In this chapter we will discuss new evidence that IL-6 should not merely be considered a marker of disease severity, and that this cytokine may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of bacterial infections.

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Authors
  1. T. Van der Poll
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  2. S. J. H. Van Deventer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussels, Route de Lennik 808, B-1070, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent (Clinical Director) (Clinical Director)

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© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Van der Poll, T., Van Deventer, S.J.H. (1999). Interleukin-6 in Bacterial Infection and Sepsis: Innocent Bystander or Essential Mediator?. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 1999. Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, vol 1999. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-13453-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-13453-5_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65288-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-13453-5

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