title: High concentrations of intrathecal interleukin-6 in human bacterial and nonbacterial meningitis.
abstract: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is multipotent cytokine that acts in a network of factors directing the inflammatory reaction of purulent bacterial meningitis (PBM). However, little is known about the role of IL-6 in aseptic or "viral" meningitis (AM). IL-6 was assayed by RIA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples obtained from patients with AM (n = 65), PBM (n = 8), and lymphocytic bacterial meningitis (LBM, n = 11). Of patients with AM, 89% had detectable IL-6 in CSF, with high IL-6 titers (median, 2160 pg/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1320-2540 pg/mL) compared with 100% in patients with PBM (median, 6575 pg/mL; 95% CI, 450-32,000 pg/mL) and 90.9% in patients with LBM (median, 875 pg/mL; 95% CI, 150-2180 pg/mL). There was a highly symmetrical correlation between IL-6 and the percentage of polymorphonuclear cells in CSF of patients with PBM (r = .97, P = .01) and AM (r = .49, P = .002). In conclusion, this study shows evidence that IL-6 is released into the meningeal space in aseptic meningitis and is correlated with the local acute inflammatory response.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital (Hôpital du Bocage), Dijon, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chavanet
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bonnotte
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guiguet
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zeller
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Solary
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maurice
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Casasnovas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caillot
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waldner
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kisterman
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008582:Meningitis, Aseptic / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013129:Spinal Puncture
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6