Cerebrospinal fluid cachectin/tumor necrosis factor-alpha and platelet-activating factor concentrations and severity of bacterial meningitis in children.

In prospective studies, tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) was detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 33 of 38 children with bacterial meningitis (BM) but in none of 15 with viral meningitis/encephalitis (P less than .001). BM CSF TNF alpha (less than 35 to greater than 25,500 pg/ml) correlated with CSF bacterial density (P less than .01), CSF protein (P less than .001), endotoxin (LPS) in gram-negative disease (P less than .01), and consecutive febrile hospital days (P less than .001); initial CSF TNF alpha greater than 1000 pg/ml was associated with seizures (P less than .05). Only 5 children with BM (13%) had detectable plasma TNF alpha activity on admission. A higher proportion who died had detectable plasma TNF alpha activity compared with survivors (3/4 vs. 2/34, P less than .005). Platelet-activating factor (PAF) in CSF was higher in 19 children with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis than in 17 controls (P less than .01) and correlated with bacterial density (P less than .01), CSF LPS (P less than .01), CSF TNF alpha levels (P less than .01), and the Herson-Todd severity score (P less than .01). Elevated CSF TNF alpha and PAF are often present in children with BM and are associated with seizures and severity of disease. Detectable CSF TNF alpha appears to distinguish BM from viral meningitis.