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Summary. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is related to some other factors in addition to being the essential cytokine of the sepsis which results from Candida infections. In our study, we investigated serum TNF-α levels, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and platelet-activating factor (PAF)-like activity, measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the mice infected with Candida species. The PAF antagonist, ginkgolide BN 52021 was used to evaluate the possible interaction between TNF-α and PAF. The average TNF-α levels were found to be 396, 489, 699 and 803 pg ml-1 on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 19th days of Candida albicans infection, respectively (P <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the serum TNF-α levels of the groups infected with other Candida species, such as C. kefyr , C. krusei and C. tropicalis (P >0.05). Serum TNF-α levels were found to be more significantly different in mice with C. albicans infection that were injected with PAF antagonists on the 6th day (23 pg ml-1 ). It was therefore thought that PAF antagonists have an inhibitory effect on TNF-α production. No significant difference was found between PAF levels in the three groups: healthy control mice, C. albicans -infected mice and C. albicans -infected mice given PAF antagonists (466 milli-absorbance unit (mAU), 475 mAU and 329 mAU, respectively). It was noticed that the positive interaction between PAF and TNF-α was not important after the first 4 days of the infection had passed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]