Tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid of newborn with meningitis

Objective: To analyze the usefulness of determining the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha),interleukin-1 beta(IL-1 beta) and interieukin-6(IL-6)for the early diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis of neonatal meningitis. Method: We studied 54 newborn that underwent lumbar puncture. Thirty patients had meningitis and 24 were the control group. CSF and sera were obtained at the moment of suspicion of meningitis and stored at -70 degrees C. Cytokines were performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: CSF cytokines were detected in all the newborn with meningitis. TNF-alpha was detected in the CSF in 63.3% of the neonates, IL-1 beta in 73.3% and IL-6 in 96.6%. The CSF levels were significantly higher than serum in neonates with meningitis. There was no correlation between the CSF levels of cytokines and neurologic complications. Conclusion: The detection of TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 in the CSF is of great value in order to achieve a early diagnosis of neonatal meningitis. Among the three cytokines analyzed, IL-6 was the best indicator of meningeal inflammation.