Interleukin-10 and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors in cerebrospinal fluid of children with bacterial meningitis

The antiinflammatory mediators interleukin (IL)-10 and soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors p55 (sTNFR-55) and sTNFR-75 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 37 children with bacterial meningitis were studied, CSF concentrations of IL-10, sTNFR-55, and sTNFR-75 and of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 were markedly elevated and were, with the exception of the sTNFRs, significantly higher in CSF than in serum, CSF concentrations of sTNFR-55 and sTNFR-75 were only associated positively with IL-10 levels, CSF glucose levels correlated highly with levels of IL-10, sTNFR-55, and sTNFR-75 and weakly with TNF-alpha and IL-6, Cytokine levels in CSF decreased rapidly, while sTNFR levels remained elevated for at least 24 h.