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Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 profiles in children with pneumonia
Insights
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) show significant differences in bacterial pneumonia patients during acute versus convalescent stages. These inflammatory markers may aid in diagnosing pediatric pneumonia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood hospitalization with significant morbidity.
- Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) are key inflammatory mediators implicated in various diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in children with bacterial or RSV pneumonia.
- To evaluate the potential of these cytokines as biomarkers for pediatric pneumonia.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels.
- Study included 27 pediatric pneumonia patients (12 bacterial, 15 RSV) and 15 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Acute bacterial pneumonia showed significantly higher TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels compared to convalescent stages, RSV pneumonia, and controls (p < 0.005 and p < 0.0005, respectively).
- RSV pneumonia patients had significantly higher IL-6 than controls (p < 0.005), but TNF-alpha levels were comparable to controls.
- Significant differences in TNF-alpha and IL-6 were observed between acute and convalescent bacterial pneumonia stages.
Conclusions:
- Serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels differ significantly between acute and convalescent stages of bacterial pneumonia.
- These cytokines show potential as useful markers for bacterial pneumonia in children.
- Further research is needed to confirm their diagnostic and prognostic value.
Abstract:
Pneumonia is a common cause of hospitalization and is associated with high morbidity in children. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) are primary mediators of inflammation, and have been implicated in a large number of infectious and non-infectious inflammatory diseases. The serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 27 patients with bacterial pneumonia (n = 12) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia (n = 15) and in 15 healthy control subjects. TNF-alpha concentrations of patients with bacterial pneumonia in acute stage (16.94 +/- 5.70 ng/L) were significantly higher than those in convalescent stage (5.80 +/- 0.75 ng/L), in patients with RSV pneumonia (5.06 +/- 0.44 ng/L) and in healthy control subjects (5.39 +/- 0.68 ng/L) (p < 0.005). TNF-alpha concentrations of patients with RSV pneumonia were not significantly different from those of the control group. IL-6 concentrations of patients with bacterial pneumonia in acute stage (465.94 +/- 290.30 ng/L) were significantly higher than those in convalescent stage (22.04 +/- 15.08 ng/L), in patients with RSV pneumonia (7.65 +/- 2.58 ng/L), and in healthy control subjects (0.84 +/- 0.08 ng/L) (p < 0.0005). There was significant difference between patients with RSV pneumonia and the healthy control group (p < 0.005). In summary, there were significant differences in TNF-alpha and IL-6 concentrations between acute stage and convalescent stage in patients with bacterial pneumonia, making them useful as markers for bacterial pneumonia. Further studies are needed to establish the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of TNF-alpha and IL-6.