Mononuclear cell subpopulations in CSF and blood of children with bacterial meningitis

SummaryObjectivesTo elucidate mononuclear cell subsets of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in order to investigate the pathogenesis of bacterial meningitis (BM).MethodsMononuclear cell and lymphocyte subsets in CSF and peripheral blood from 10 children with acute-stage BM before treatment on the same day were measured by flow cytometry. The control subjects for the subsets of peripheral blood were 15 healthy children.ResultsThe percentages of CD14+ monocytes/macrophages (median: 56.5%), activated CD14+CD16+ monocytes/macrophages (20.9%), and CD14+CD16+ cells among total CD14+ cells (37.9%) in the CSF were significantly higher than those in the blood of children with BM (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively), which were significantly higher than those of the controls (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively). The percentages of CD3+ (77.3%), CD4+ (45.2%), and CD8+ T cells (32.6%) in the CSF were significantly higher than those in the blood of affected children (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively). The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells in the blood of children with BM were significantly lower than those of controls (all p < 0.001). The percentages of CD20+ B cells (6.9%) in the CSF were significantly lower than those in the blood of affected children (p < 0.01), which were significantly higher than those of controls (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe percentages of monocytes/macrophages and T cells in CSF were higher than those in blood in children with BM.