TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA AND INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA LEVELS IN CHILDRENWITH BACTERIAL, TUBERCULOUS AND ASEPTIC-MENINGITIS

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleu kin-1 beta in 78 children with nonbacterial, bacterial and tuberculous meningitis, and in 34 control subjects were analyzed in order to eval uate the involvement of these cytokines in the pathogenesis of acute b acterial meningitis and their discriminative value between different e tiologies of meningitis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin- 1 beta levels were significantly higher in bacterial and tuberculous m eningitis than in aseptic meningitis and in control subjects (p < 0.00 01). There was no difference in the levels of tumor necrosis factor-al pha and interleukin-1 beta between nonbacterial meningitis and control groups. The finding that both tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interle ukin-1 beta are increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with bacterial and tuberculous meningitis whereas normal levels of these tw o cytokines have been found in patients with nonbacterial meningitis s ignifies that these cytokines may be used to differentiate between bac terial and nonbacterial meningitis.