Differential diagnostic significance of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α in cerebrospinal fluid of children with acute central nervous system infections

Objective: To investigate the variations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) interleukin-2(IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) levels in children with intracranial infections. Method: The concentrations of IL-2 and TNF-α were measured in the CSF of 44 children with intracranial infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The CSF levels of IL-2 and TNF-α were higher in patients with purulent meningitis than those of tuberculous meningitis or virus meningitis (P0.01). The incidence of abnormality of IL-2 and TNF-α in the CSF was higher in tuberculous meningitis group than those of purulent or virus meningitis group (P0.01). Conclusion: There were significant differences of the CSF levels of IL-2 and TNF-α between purulent meningitis group and the others. It is suggested that the CSF levels of IL-2 and TNF-α may play an important role in the pathogenesis of intracranial infections and can serve as a marker for differential diagnosis.