Early distinction between severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and mild MPP is still difficult. The aim of this study was to analyze cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and explore predicting factors of severe MPP in children. Retrospective analysis was performed on 150 children with MPP or bronchial foreign body (FB) admitted in our hospital. The mRNA levels of IL17A were found significantly lower in severe MPP group comparing with mild MPP group or FB group. However, no significant difference was found in the levels of IL4, IL10 or interferon beta1 (IFN beta 1) between the two groups. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that IL17A can be used to distinguish severe MPP from mild MPP. These results were confirmed in a validation cohort including 40 MPP children from another hospital. IL17A levels were correlated with some clinical characters, such as refractoriness and pleural effusion. Lower IL17A levels were more likely to be found in refractory MPP children or in MPP children with pleural effusion. Moreover, the protein levels of IL17A in BALF were also found greatly decreased in children with severe MPP. Thus, decreased IL17A levels in BALF may be a valuable biomarker to identify severe MPP in children.
[1]Jilin Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Translat Med, Changchun 130021, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[2]Jilin Univ, Hosp 1, Dept Pediat, Changchun 130021, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[3]Jilin Univ, Bethune Med Sch, Changchun 130021, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[4]Changchun Childrens Hosp, Dept Resp, Changchun 130051, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[5]Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Mol Genet, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA.
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