Department of Pediatrics, Zhejiang Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2020 Jun 21;26:e923449. doi: 10.12659/MSM.923449.
BACKGROUND Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) that is particularly prevalent in school-aged children. This study explored the potential involvement of cytokines in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS Children aged 3-7 years who were hospitalized due to CAP infection were enrolled and divided into 2 groups: an MPP group (n=33) and a NMPP group (n=38), along with 21 age-matched healthy controls. Clinical characteristics and laboratory data were recorded. Serum levels of IL-18, IL-33, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-13 were assessed using Luminex xMAP technology. Correlation analysis and ROC curves analysis were also performed to further explore the role of these detected cytokines in CAP. RESULTS Compared with the healthy controls, the serum expression of IL-18, IL-33, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-13 were significantly higher in the MPP and NMPP groups. Furthermore, serum IL-18 expression was found to be significantly correlated with lgE, FeNO, IL-5, IL-8, and IL-13 concentrations. Significant differences were also observed between the MPP group and NMPP group patients in levels of IL-18, IL-5, and IL-6, and further ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of IL-18 and IL-5 were 0.813 (95% CI: 0.710-0.917; P<0.01) and 0.844 (95% CI: 0.756-0.933; P<0.01), respectively. CONCLUSIONS IL-18, IL-33, IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-13 serum levels showed significant differences in children with CAP. IL-18 and IL-5 were much higher in the MPP group compared to the NMPP group patients, whereas IL-6 levels were significantly lower in these 2 groups.
肺炎支原体是社区获得性肺炎（CAP）的主要病因，尤其在学龄儿童中更为普遍。本研究探讨细胞因子在肺炎支原体肺炎（MPP）患儿感染中的潜在作用。
因 CAP 感染住院的 3-7 岁儿童被纳入并分为 MPP 组（n=33）和非 MPP 组（n=38），并与 21 名年龄匹配的健康对照组进行比较。记录临床特征和实验室数据。采用 Luminex xMAP 技术检测血清白细胞介素-18（IL-18）、白细胞介素-33（IL-33）、干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）、白细胞介素-5（IL-5）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）、白细胞介素-8（IL-8）和白细胞介素-13（IL-13）水平。进行相关性分析和 ROC 曲线分析，以进一步探讨这些检测到的细胞因子在 CAP 中的作用。
与健康对照组相比，MPP 组和非 MPP 组患者血清中 IL-18、IL-33、IFN-γ、IL-5、IL-6、IL-8 和 IL-13 的表达明显升高。此外，血清 IL-18 表达与 lgE、FeNO、IL-5、IL-8 和 IL-13 浓度呈显著相关。MPP 组和非 MPP 组患者之间在 IL-18、IL-5 和 IL-6 水平上也存在显著差异，进一步的 ROC 分析显示，IL-18 和 IL-5 的曲线下面积（AUC）分别为 0.813（95%CI：0.710-0.917；P<0.01）和 0.844（95%CI：0.756-0.933；P<0.01）。
肺炎患儿血清中 IL-18、IL-33、IFN-γ、IL-5、IL-6、IL-8 和 IL-13 水平存在显著差异。MPP 组患儿血清中 IL-18 和 IL-5 水平明显高于非 MPP 组，而 2 组患者的 IL-6 水平明显较低。
