It has been known that vitamin Asupplementation in measles increases resistance against infection and decreases mortality related with secondary complications as blindness, protein-energy malnutrition, pneumoniae and diarrheae.

Vitamin A (195.000 IU/day/oral) has been administered for 2 days to 15 male patients with measles (average of age is 20) to observe it's immunomodulatory effects on immun system cells. The effect of vitamin A on patient PMN functions (phagocytic and intracellular killing activity) was investigated ex vivo.

PMNs (1x10⁷ cells/ml) were isolated by Ficoll-hypaque gradient cenrifuge method from venous blood in ethylenediaminetetraaceticacide (EDTA) of patients with measles. Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) was used to determine the phagocytic and intracellular killing activities of PMNs.

For the determination of phagocytic activitiy of PMNs, phagocytosed yeast cells were counted on a slide under the microscope and the result was expressed as percentage. Intracellular killing activities of PMNs were determined by counting the PMNs that contain killed yeast cells (blue in colour) by PMNs. The result was expressed as percentage.

Vitamin A(195.000 IU/day/oral) which was administered for 2 days in the treatment of patients, increased phagocytic and intracellular killing activities of PMNs significantly (p<0.05).

In conclusion, vitamin A(195.000 IU/day/oral) administered for 2 days in the supportive treatment of measles, produced immunomodulating effects on PMN functions without any complication.