Plasma proteomic profile of patients with tick-borne encephalitis and co-infections

Despite the increasing number of patients suffering from tick-borne diseases, including tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease, the mechanisms of development of these diseases and their effects on human body are still unknown. Moreover, the increasing number of cases of co-infections of these diseases additionally hampers the correct diagnosis and the application of effective therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in proteomic profile of human plasma induced by the development of TBE and to compare it with changes in TBE patients co-infected with other tick-borne pathogens. The results obtained by proteomic analysis using nanoLC-QExactive/MS showed that the most highly elevated groups of proteins in the plasma of TBE patients with co-infection were involved in the pro-inflammatory response and protein degradation, while the antioxidant proteins and factors responsible for protein biosynthesis were mainly down regulated. The main proteins, which expression differentiated patients with TBE from co-infected patients, such as AP-1, fumarylacetoacetase, serpin, annexin, or carbonic anhydrase 2, are involved in TBE virulence or antibacterial responses. These results were accompanied by the enhanced GSH- and 4-HNE-protein adducts formation, observed in TBE and co-infected patients on higher level than in the case of only TBE patients. In conclusion, the differences in the proteomic profiles between patients with TBE and co-infected indicate that the mechanisms of development of these diseases are diverse and, consequently, require different treatment, what is particularly important for further research, including the development of novel diagnostics tools.