Quantitation of Lymphocyte Subsets in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood during the Clinical Course of Aseptic and Bacterial Meningitis

Abstract

Mononuclear cell subsets in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral blood (PB) were monitored during the clinical course in 23 patients with acute meningitis using 6 monoclonal antibodies. Significant differences between aseptic and bacterial meningitis mainly consisted of a higher percentage of OKT4-positive cells in PB in the acute phase of bacterial meningitis. Significant differences between CSF and PB are found in the amount of most cell subtypes at all times except the acute phase of bacterial meningitis. The OKT4/OKT8 ratio was always significantly higher in CSF and correlated with the acuity of inflammation in bacterial meningitis.

Experimental Autoimmune Meningitis: A Novel Neurological Disease in CD28-Deficient Mice

“…ASM is dominated by neutrophils. However, activated CD4 ϩ T cells (21,22) and cytokines (23,24) also are present in the cerebrospinal fluid. ASM can easily be differentiated from MS by clinical and laboratory criteria (25).…”

Kinetics of adaptive immunity to Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis in transgenic mice: Evidence from diverse expression of double T1/T2 transgenes and Th1/Th2-related cytokines

“…Moreover, a significantly higher percentage of CD4 + cells occurs in the peripheral blood in the acute phase of bacterial meningitis, and this higher ratio of CD4 + /CD8 + T cells in the CSF correlates closely with the acuity of inflammation in bacterial meningitis [9]. The potential involvement of Th1/Th2-related cytokines in bacterial meningitis has been studied and some reports indicate the early presence of Th1-related cytokines, interleukin (IL)-12 or interferon (IFN)-␥, in the CSF of infants and children with bacterial meningitis [10,11].…”

Patient acuity: a concept analysis

“…Papers referred to inflammatory acuity in terms of the extent or severity of the actual inflammatory process or in relation to a specific disease, such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Bamborschke et al. 1990, Loffler et al.…”