The correlation between NOD2 and anti-Salmonella Typhi antibodies functions as a diagnostic marker for typhoid disease. | ||||
Microbial Biosystems | ||||
Volume 10, Issue 3, September 2025 | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/mb.2025.397269.1354 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Ayad M Gaidan ![]() | ||||
1Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, Iraq | ||||
21Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, Iraq. | ||||
3Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Diyala, Diyala, Iraq | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening systemic infection caused by Salmonella Typhi, which specifically infects humans. It remains a major public health concern in the developing countries. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) is a cytosolic receptor that detects pathogens and triggers an appropriate immune system response. This study investigated the diagnostic potential of serum NOD2 and anti-Salmonella Typhi antibodies as biomarkers in typhoid fever. A total of 75 clinically and laboratory-confirmed typhoid fever patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled in a case-control design. Blood samples were collected from all the participants. Serum NOD2 levels were measured, and anti-Salmonella Typhi IgG and IgM antibodies were assessed via standard serological methods, including the Widal test. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was employed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of NOD2. The mean serum level of NOD2 in the patient group was 3.12 ± 0.39 ng/ml, which was significantly higher than that of the control group 3.6 ± 0.47. NOD2 showed a significant negative correlation with anti-Salmonella Typhi IgM titer (r= 0.246, p= 0.022). According to the ROC curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.827 (95% CI: 0.737–0.918; p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the test were 78% and 77%, respectively. The best cutoff value of soluble NOD2 was >3.3 ng/ml. A low serum level of NOD2 is associated with reduced immunological response to Salmonella Typhi infection. The study’s findings revealed that serum level of NOD2 could aid in the diagnosis of typhoid fever alongside serological tests | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Nucleotide-binding; oligomerization; domain-containing protein 2; typhoid fever; Salmonella Typhi | ||||
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