ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the changes and significance of lymphocyte sunsets and serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels in children with toxoplasma infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-four children who were newly diagnosed with toxoplasma infection (TOX-IgM+ group) between January 2011 and April 2014, 12 children who had ever been diagnosed with toxoplasma infection (TOX-IgG+ group), and 54 healthy children (control group) were enrolled. The percentages of CD4+, CD8+, CD19+ and NK cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes were detected by flow cytometry. Serum levels of IFN-γ were measured using ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The percentages of CD4+ cells and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the TOX-IgM+ group were significantly lower than in the TOX-IgG+ and control groups, while the percentages of CD8+ and NK cells and serum IFN-γ levels were significantly higher than in the other two groups (P<0.05). The TOX-IgG+ group had higher serum IFN-γ levels than the control group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the percentage of CD8+ cells and serum IFN-γ levels in the TOX-IgM+ group (r=0.756; P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CD4+, CD8+ and NK cells may play important roles in the resistance against toxoplasma infection by promoting the secretion of cytokines.</p>