Cytokine elevations in infants with bacterial and aseptic meningitis.

Abstract

We sought to determine whether the detection of cytokines, produced during the inflammatory response, would aid in the diagnosis of meningitis in young infants. We measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in 62 infants less than 6 months of age whose condition was evaluated for meningitis. Twenty infants had culture-proved meningitis, 22 had aseptic meningitis, and 20 control infants had no evidence of meningitis. The CSF IL-6 levels were elevated in all 20 infants with bacterial meningitis and in 9 of 22 infants with aseptic meningitis but were undetectable in all control subjects. Furthermore, CSF IL-6 levels were 10 times greater in infants with bacterial versus aseptic meningitis (p < 0.001). Levels of TNF in CSF were detected in 12 of 20 infants with bacterial meningitis and were undetectable in infants with aseptic meningitis and in control infants (p < 0.02). Plasma IL-6 and TNF levels were unreliable for the detection of meningitis in this patient population. We conclude that the presence of IL-6 in the CSF reliably identifies infants with meningitis and that the presence of CSF TNF is a highly specific indicator of bacterial meningeal inflammation.

• Authors: S J Dulkerian, L Kilpatrick, A T Costarino Jr, L McCawley, J Fein, L Corcoran, S Zirin, M C Harris
• Journal: The Journal of pediatrics (J Pediatr) Vol. 126 Issue 6 Pg. 872-6 (Jun 1995) ISSN: 0022-3476 [Print] United States
• PMID: 7776086 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Interleukin-6
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Humans
• Infant
• Interleukin-6 (blood, cerebrospinal fluid)
• Meningitis, Aseptic (cerebrospinal fluid, diagnosis)
• Meningitis, Bacterial (cerebrospinal fluid, diagnosis)
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (analysis, cerebrospinal fluid)