Serum levels of interleukin-13 and interferon-γ in infants with acute bronchiolitis and its clinical significance

Objective To determined the serum levels of interleukin-13(IL-13) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) in infants with acute bronchiolitis.Methods The serum levels of IL-13 and IFN-γ of 42 cases with acute bronchiolitis and 16 cases of control were determined with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results The serum levels of IL-13 in infants with acute bronchiolitis [(6.88±2.12)ng/L] were significantly higher than those in the 16 healthy infants(the control) [(5.48±1.28)ng/L](P0.01).The serum levels of IFN-γ in infants with acute bronchiolitis [(10.71±2.44)ng/L] were significantly higher than those in the control [(9.20±1.54)ng/L](P0.05).The serum level of IFN-γ in infants with mild bronchiolitis was significantly higher than those with severe bronchiolitis and the control.There was no difference in serum levels of IFN-γ between the cases with severe bronchiolitis and the control(P0.05).Conclusion This study provids the evidence that serum levels of IL-13 are increased in cases with acute bronchiolitis,indicating the IL-13 may play a role in the pathogenesis of acute bronchiolitis.