Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells in Patients With Suspected Meningitis, Peritonitis, or Pleuritis

Abstract

The recently identified Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) is up-regulated on the surfaces of inflammatory cells in the presence of extracellular bacteria and fungi, and the soluble form, sTREM, has been used to improve the diagnostic accuracy of ventilator-associated pneumonia and septicemia in critically ill patients. The current study, which included 265 patients, was undertaken to evaluate the potential role of sTREM in the diagnosis of meningitis, peritonitis, and pleuritis by comparing sTREM concentrations, measured by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure, in samples of cerebrospinal fluid, peritoneal fluid, and pleural fluid, with the results of laboratory investigations used to detect the presence of microbial pathogens in these fluid samples. Significantly higher concentrations of sTREM were associated with the presence of diverse microbial pathogens and may be useful in predicting the presence of microbial pathogens in peritoneal and pleural fluid samples.