Serum thrombomodulin levels in patients with typhoid fever

Elevated plasma or serum levels of thrombomodulin (TM) have been reported in some diseases. However, to our knowledge, plasma and serum levels of TM have not been investigated in febrile patients with typhoid fever. Serum TM and creatinine levels were determined in 7 male Japanese febrile patients with typhoid fever and 6 male Japanese healthy controls. The serum TM values of the patients and controls, in arbitrary units/mL, were 5.04 (SD = 1.69) and 2.93 (SD = 0.74), respectively (P < 0.025). The serum creatinine levels of the patients and controls were 0.93 (SD = 0.16) mg/dL and 0.77 (SD = 0.10) mg/dL, respectively, and the lack of any significant difference between them suggests that delayed clearance from the kidneys was not the predominant explanation for the elevated serum TM levels. Although the numbers of patients and controls were small and more studies are needed, we conclude that elevated serum TM levels during the course of a febrile infection with Salmonella serovar typhi may reflect the disease activity.