acid-phosphatase and Meningitis

Acid phosphatase staining is performed on cerebrospinal fluid cells of 365 samples from 105 patients with various types of meningitis. This enzyme activity is strongly positive in the early samples of bacterial meningitis, as far as the patients had not received a pretreatment with antibiotics for more than 24 h. It allows monitoring the response to therapy in subsequent samples. Acid phosphatase activity is positive in 2 cases of cryptococcus meningitis. It is negative in all cases of aseptic and Mycoplasma pneumoniae meningitis. The results in herpes encephalitis are variable, depending on the clinical state and the degree of brain destruction. Acid phosphatase staining is a useful and rapid cytological technique for determination of the nature of the meningitis and for monitoring the therapeutical response.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bacterial Infections; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Cytodiagnosis; Herpes Simplex; Humans; Macrophages; Meningitis; Middle Aged; Monocytes

The activity of the lysosomal enzymes acid phosphatase, beta-glucuronidase, alpha-mannosidase and hexosaminidase were determined in CSF obtained from patients with proven bacterial meningitis and from patients with various other diagnoses. The mean value for CSF beta-glucuronidase from bacterial meningitis was elevated 73-fold when compared to the aggregate mean of all control groups. Acid phosphatase and alpha-mannosidase means were 26-fold and 33-fold elevated respectively while hexosaminidase was threefold elevated. Measurement of CSF acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase should prove a rapid useful test in establishing the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Chromatography of CSF samples on DEAE Sephadex allowed the resolution of hexosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase into individual isozymes. The ratio of hexosaminidase A to hexosaminidase B was generally higher in CSF from patients with bacterial meningitis but was very variable. The isozyme distribution for beta-glucuronidase was identical to that found in serum and no differences in pattern were found between patients and control subjects.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Child; Child, Preschool; Glucuronidase; Hexosaminidases; Humans; Hydrolases; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lysosomes; Mannosidases; Meningitis

A method of CSF cell culturing, based on observations of cultured cells isolated from 700 CSF specimens obtained for routine diagnostic procedures by lumbar puncture from patients who had no proven or suspected neoplastic disease, is described which enables the demonstration of proliferating mononuclear elements even when they are present in specimens with low cell count. Spread on surfaces of plastic and glass material, monocytes and histiocytes in CSF cell cultures can appear as polygonal or crescent shaped epitheloid cells, may assume spindle shapes, or transform into multinucleated giant cells. Some cells given rise to clones with different rates of proliferation, up to the formation of a monolayer. After short term culturing the cytochemical characteristics of the cells are comparable to those of the native cells. Phagocytosis in culture is possible. Cells with a high rate of proliferation can be isolated from CSF specimens in subacute non-bacterial inflammatory processes, in chronic meningitis, in the state of repair of bacterial meningitis and subarachnoid hemorrhage, after repeated lumbar punctures and other unspecific irritations such as myelography and pneumencephalography, and in the course of intrathecal cytostatic therapy.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Cell Count; Cell Division; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Central Nervous System Diseases; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Encephalitis; Esterases; Histiocytes; Humans; Meningitis; Monocytes; Phagocytosis

The concentration of cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and the activities of some enzymes of 29 children were measured from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma at various stages of meningitis. The CSF cAMP values in acute untreated phase of aseptic and purulent meningitis were equal, but significantly higher than those of convalescent children with no pathological clinical or laboratory findings. During the whole course (up to 2 weeks) of antimicrobial treatment of the purulent meningitis CSF cAMP concentration was higher than in the convalescent phase. Of the CSF enzymes studied, the lactic dehydrogenase activity seemed to be the best indicator of changing stages of meningitis. It was clearly elevated in the acute, untreated phase of purulent meningitis then decreasing during the course of treatment. In aseptic meningitis this activity was at the normal level and the activities of creatine kinase and acid phosphatase behaved similarly. The plasma cAMP concentrations in the acute phase of purulent meningitis were in the same range as in the CSF. During the treatment no significant changes were seen. The enzyme activities in the plasma were normal. The CSF cAMP level seems to be a sensitive indicator of metabolic disturbances in meningitis and may serve as a diagnostic aid.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Creatine Kinase; Cyclic AMP; Female; Humans; Infant; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Male; Meningitis

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Child, Preschool; Chronic Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Glucuronidase; Humans; Male; Meningitis; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasms

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Biochemical Phenomena; Body Fluids; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Humans; Inorganic Chemicals; Meningitis; Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases