ABSTRACT

A total of 116 sera collected from 86 persons infected with G. lamblia (40 males, 46 females) and 30 healthy controls (12 males, 18 females) were tested in order to determine the levels of some cytokines. Serum levels of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 were measured by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The cytokine that increased most was IL-2 which had an elevated level of 46.5% and was followed by IL-4 (2.3%). IL-10 had not increased at all. The elevated ratio of IL-2 levels showed significant difference (p<0.001). From these results, it can be concluded that Th1 immune response seems to be predominant in subjects infected with G. lamblia.

Keywords: Giardia infection; IL-2, IL-4, IL-10