The markers of damage of neurons and glia in cerebrospinal liquor under meningitis in children.

Abstract

The actuality of analysis of cerebrospinal fluid under meningitis in children is conditioned by severity of course of disease with development of residual aftermaths in part of patients. The appearance of proteins specific for neurons, astro- and oligodendroglia in liquor and blood serum can serve as a marker of severity of damage of cerebral parenchyma and as a predictor of development of neurological deficiency. The analysis was applied to samples of liquor obtained during diagnostic lumbar puncture in 44 children (33 with viral serous meningitis, 11 with bacterial purulent meningitis). The detection of protein S-100, glial fibrillar acid protein and and neuron-specific enolase was implemented using solid-phase immune enzyme technique. The maximal increasing of concentrations of protein S-100 and glial fibrillar acid protein was detected at initial stage of bacterial purulent meningitis with consequent decreasing of at the stage of re-convalescence. Under serous meningitis at acute stage maximal high proved to be average value of concentration of neuron-specific enolase with tendency to its increasing at the stage of re-convalescence. The multi-directional correlation relationships are established concerning levels of of neuron-specific enolase, glial fibrillar acid protein and protein S-100 with standard liquorologic indices and their direct mutual relationships. The variability of levels of neuron-specific proteins in liquor is established associated with clinical characteristics of course of meningitis in children that testifies possibility of their application for specifying involvement into pathological process of different brain structures and necessity of further studying of relationship of infection affection of brain with development of neurological aftermaths at the residual period.