Retrospective Analysis of Blood Biomarkers of Neurological Injury in Human Cases of Viral Infection and Bacterial Sepsis.

This article evaluates the use of an FDA-approved Brain Trauma Indicator (BTI) assay, which measures glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), for detecting brain injury caused by viral and bacterial infections. The study analyzed serum samples from three populations: individuals infected with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and Madariaga virus (MADV), patients with bacterial sepsis including those with central nervous system (CNS) involvement, and sepsis patients assessed longitudinally for cognitive impairment. Results showed that elevated GFAP levels correlated with CNS infection symptoms, seizures, and predicted cognitive impairment up to six months post-infection, while UCH-L1 levels were less consistently elevated. The findings suggest that GFAP, measured via this FDA-approved assay, may serve as a biomarker for infection-induced brain injury and help predict neurological sequelae, though further prospective studies are needed to confirm clinical utility.