Bakowska A, Pietkiewicz H: Cytokines and clinical manifestations of malaria in adults with severe and uncomplicated disease. Int Marit Health 2005

Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are supposed to be involved in malaria pathogenesis. Their relationship with clinical manifestations of the disease, however, is rarely studied in adults from non-endemic countries with imported disease, particularly with severe malaria. In this study we compared serum levels of gamma interferon (IFNγ) and interleukins: IL-12, IL-18, IL-10 in healthy adults and patients with severe or uncomplicated imported malaria, with predominance of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections within studied group. Severe malaria was shown to be associated with elevated serum levels of IFNγ and IL-18 as well as with relative deficiency of IL-12 mediated response in comparison to uncomplicated malaria cases, while IL-10 was found to be higher in all malaria patients compared to the controls.