[Serum levels of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in children with Mycoplasmal pneumonia at the acute phase].
OBJECTIVE
Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) are typical cytokines produced by CD4(+) T cells under antigenic stimulations, and the changes of serum levels of the two cytokines can indirectly reflect the immune state and the progress of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in peripheral blood of children with Mycoplasmal pneumonia.


METHODS
The peripheral blood concentrations of IFN-gamma and IL-4 were measured using ELISA in 40 children with Mycoplasmal pneumonia at the acute stage. The samples from 40 healthy children were used as the Control group.


RESULTS
The serum concentrations of IFN-gamma and IL-4 in the Mycoplasmal pneumonia group were 99.43 +/- 13.18 and 44.61 +/- 17.46 pg/mL, respectively, which were higher than those in the Control group (86.23 +/- 6.31 and 25.97 +/- 9.40 pg/mL respectively; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
There was an imbalance in cytokine secretion in children with Mycoplasmal pneumonia at the acute phase, suggesting that adjuvant immunological therapy is needed for Mycoplasmal pneumonia.
Pan
Wei
W
Department of Pediatrics, Second Clinical Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130041, China.
Xu
Zhong
Z
Zheng
Bai-Hong
BH
D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology
D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma