Bacteria and Viruses Induce Production of Interferon in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Children with Acute Meningitis: A Study of 57 Cases and Review

Abstract

The CSF of 57 infants and children with bacterial or enterovirus meningitis was analyzed for the presence ofinterferon (IFN). CSF was collected when the diagnosis of meningitis was made; a bacterium or enterovirus was isolated in all cases. IFN was detectable in CSF in 24% of cases of bacterial meningitis and in 75% of cases of viral meningitis. Titers ofIFN weregenerally lower in cases of bacterial meningitis. Neither the presence ofIFN nor the levelofIFN titers correlated with the patient's age or number of white blood cells or mononuclear cells in the CSF. Coxsackievirus induced production of IFN more consistently and in higher titers than did echovirus. None of 35 control patients had detectable IFN in CSF. A literature reviewand our data indicate that the presence ofIFN in CSF suggests infection ofthe CNS but does not differentiate bacterial from viral infection. The finding of IFN in the CSF of children with bacterial meningitis supports evidence that bacteria and other nonviral microorganisms induce IFN production. The protective role of IFN in nonviral infections deserves further investigation.