The plasma concentrations of type II phospholipase A2 (type II PLA2) and eicosanoids, such as leukotriene B4 (LTB4), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha), and thromboxane B2 (TXB2), were determined by radioimmunoassay in 23 patients with burns covering at least 20 per cent of their body surface. Cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) were determined by enzyme-immunosorbent assay. There was no increase in type II PLA2 concentration in the early stage of burns, but an increase in type II PLA2 concentration was triggered by infection (P < 0.0001). The level of type II PLA2 was significantly higher in the non-surviving group than in the surviving group (P = 0.0006), suggesting that it reflects the severity of the disease. There was a significant correlation between the maximum level of type II PLA2 and TNF-alpha (r = 0.6346, P = 0.0011). There was a significant correlation between the maximum level of type II PLA2 and the accompanying plasma concentrations of LTB4, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and TXB2 throughout the observation period (r = 0.4814, P = 0.0200; r = 0.5943, P = 0.0028; r = 0.4368, P = 0.0372 respectively). Plasma levels of LTB4, and TXB2 were significantly higher in the burn patients who died than in those who survived (P = 0.0493; P = 0.0493 respectively).