[Serum levels of IL-13 and TNF-alpha in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia].
OBJECTIVE
To examine serum levels of interleukin-13 (IL-13) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia.


METHODS
Eighty children with MP pneumonia complicated by wheezing or without (n=40 each), 40 children with pneumonia from non-MP infection and 40 healthy children were enrolled. Serum levels of IL-13 and TNF-alpha were measured using ELISA.


RESULTS
The serum levels of IL-13 and TNF-alpha in the MP pneumonia group were significantly higher than those in non-MP pneumonia group and the healthy control group (P<0.01). The children with MP pneumonia complicated by wheezing had increased serum levels of IL-13 (214.6 + or - 67.2 ng/L vs 189.6 + or - 52.1 ng/L; P<0.01) and TNF-alpha(0.55 + or - 0.13 ng/mL vs 0.42 + or - 0.16 ng/mL; P<0.01)compared with those without wheezing.


CONCLUSIONS
The increase in serum levels of IL-13 and TNF-alpha may play important roles in the pathogenesis of MP pneumonia and wheezing attack in children.
Li
Yin-Fang
YF
Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing First Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, China.
Yu
Yin
Y
Lu
Zhi-Fang
ZF
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
D018793:Interleukin-13; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha