CD4+ Th2 cell response cytokine production in bacterial meningitis.
There has been a growing body of evidence suggesting that CD4+ Th1/Th2 cell responses participate in pathologic and immunologic processes in infectious disease. Bacterial meningitis is a fatal disease of children and is associated with a spectrum of clinical syndromes. This study provides evidence of CD4+ enhanced interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-6 but decreased IL-2 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production, the induction of characteristic Th2 cell response cytokines in bacterial meningitis, which may play an important role in disease mechanism. Additionally, monocyte-induced enhanced IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha production may be associated with distinct clinical features such as fever, seizures, and neurological sequelae. A striking finding was also the highly deficient monocyte-induced granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor production. Of particular interest, the CD(8+)-enhanced IFN-gamma production may be required for the cytolytic activity or protective response to be maintained in this disease. Taken together, these data reveal that monocytes and CD4+ (Th2) and CD8+ subsets produce distinct cytokines in bacterial meningitis, which may exert an immunoregulatory and immunopathologic effect and thus mediate some of the clinical manifestations of the disease.
Raziuddin
S
S
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
el-Awad
M E
ME
Telmesani
A W
AW
Bilal
N E
NE
al-Janadi
M
M
D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*
D016207:Cytokines