Abstract: OBJECTIVE To study the impact of pulmonary fungal infection on serum inflammatory factors and tumor necrosis factor of patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS From Jun 2014 to Apr 2016, totally 48 patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) complicated with fungal infection were chosen as the infection group, while 50 COPD patients without fungal infection were set as the non-infection group, meanwhile, 50 healthy people were assigned as the control group. The lung function of the patients in the infection group and the non-infection group was examined and classified, and the species of pathogens causing the infection were identified. The levels of serum inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interferon (IFN-γ) were detected, and the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines were observed and compared among the three groups of patients and among the patients with different grades of lung function. RESULTS The levels of serum inflammatory factors (IL-2, IL-6) and TNF-α were significantly higher in the infection group and the non-infection group than in the control group; the levels of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α were highest in the infection group, significantly higher than those in the non-infection group, while the level of IFN-γ was remarkably reduced (P<0.05). There was significant difference in the level of serum IL-1β or TNF-α among the patients with different grades of lung function in the non-infection group, and the levels of IL-1B and TNF-α were highest in the patients with grade Ⅲ lung function (P<0.05). There was significant difference in the level of serum IL-2, IL-4 or TNF-α among the patients with different grades of lung function in the infection group, and the levels of IL-2 and IL-4 were highest in the patients with grade Ⅲ lung function. CONCLUSION It is of great clinical significance to detect the levels of serum IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α for assessment of illness condition and prediction of infection of the AECOPD patients complicated with fungal infection.