OBJECTIVE To investigate the inflammatory cytokines in serum and alveolar lavage fluid of children with adenovirus pneumonia and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

METHODS Clinical data of 40 children each with adenovirus pneumonia (adenovirus group) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mycoplasma pneumoniae group) diagnosed and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanyang medical college form Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2023 were collected, and pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 in serum and alveolar lavage fluid on admission were detected and analyzed.

RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2, IL-8 and TNF-α, the level of IL-6 in the serum and alveolar lavage fluid between the two groups, and IL-6 in the adenovirus group was higher than that in the Mycoplasma pneumoniae group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 in serum and alveolar lavage fluid between the two groups, and the level of IL-5 and IL-10 in the adenovirus group was higher than that in Mycoplasma pneumoniae group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION There were similarities and differences in the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the serum and pneumonia lavage fluid of children with adenovirus pneumonia and Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, and the analysis of the different cytokine expression status was of clinical significance for speculating and judging the differences in the pathogens of infection.