INTERLEUKIN-8 IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID FROM PATIENTS WITH MENINGITIS OFDIFFERENT ETIOLOGIES - ITS POSSIBLE ROLE AS NEUTROPHIL CHEMOTACTIC FACTOR

Interleukin (IL)-8 concentrations were analyzed in 70 cerebrospinal fl uid (CSF) samples from patients with meningitis of different etiologie s and in 34 normal CSF samples. Patient groups included those with pyo genic meningitis, viral meningitis, self-resolving aseptic meningitis without a specific diagnosis, and meningitis of other etiologies and n ormal CSF from patients with and without neurologic disease. All sampl es from patients with pyogenic meningitis (18) but only 3 from patient s with meningitis of other etiologies and with CSF polymorphonuclear l eukocyte (PMNL) counts greater than or equal to 80% had IL-8 levels gr eater than or equal to 2.5 ng/mL. IL-8 was above the normal level (les s than or equal to 0.5 ng/mL) in samples from 5 of 13 viral and 8 of 2 3 self-resolving aseptic meningitis patients and in 7 of 13 samples fr om patients with meningitis caused by other microorganisms. There was a significant relationship between IL-8 levels and CSF PMNL counts in patients with nonpyogenic meningitis. The data suggest a possible role of IL-8 as PMNL chemotactic factor in different infections of the sub arachnoid space, not only in pyogenic meningitis.