SERUM GRANULOCYTE-MACROPHAGE COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR AND INTERLEUKIN-1 LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH REPEATED AND NONREPEATED PULMONARY INFECTIONS

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has a stimul ating effect on erythroid, megakaryocytic and granulocyte-macrophage p rogenitors. Activated T lymphocytes, monocytes, fibroblasts and endoth elial cells release GM-CSF after stimulation by endotoxin and cytokine s such as interleukin-l (IL-l) and tumor necrosis factor. IL-1 is also released in response to bacterial infections and inflammation by phag ocytic mononuclear cells, GM-CSF and IL-1 levels were examined in 10 p atients with recurrent pulmonary infection (repeaters) and in 10 patie nts with acute pulmonary infection (non-repeaters) in the acute and re covery periods of infection. The mean serum GM-CSF and IL-1 levels of non-repeaters were significantly higher that those of repeaters in the acute period of infection (p < 0.002), but the same parameters of bot h groups were not different in the recovery period (p > 0.05). In addi tion, both the serum GM-CSF and IL-1 levels of repeaters and non-repea ters in the acute period of infection were higher than those in the re covery period (p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between ser um IL-1 and GM-CSF levers in nonrepeaters (r = 0.746, p = 0.013), but no significant correlation between the same parameters in repeaters (r = 0.395, p = 0.259). In this study, we could not explain why the seru m GM-CSF and IL-1 levels in repeaters did not increase as they did In non-repeaters; moreover, there was no significant correlation between serum IL-1 and GM-CSF revels in repeaters during the acute period of i nfection. These findings may be due to microenvironmental factors in b one marrow and/or other factors.