Diagnostic value of the CSF levels of D-Lactate and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-17) in the patients with suspected nosocomial meningitis

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to determine the diagnostic value of IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, TNF-α and D-lactate levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in nosocomial meningitis. Methods: CSF levels of cytokines and D-lactate were compared across 29 episodes who were diagnosed with nosocomial meningitis, 38 episodes with pleocytosis but without meningitis and 54 control subjects. Results: CSF levels of IL-6, IL-8, and D-lactate were higher in the group with nosocomial meningitis compared to the control group and to the group with pleocytosis without meningitis (p<0.05). For the levels of IL-6, when the threshold was considered to be > 440 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were 55.17% and 94.74%, respectively. For IL-8 levels, when the threshold was considered to be >1249 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were 44.83% and 84.21%, respectively. In the patients with nosocomial meningitis, when the threshold of D-lactate levels was considered to be >1.05µmol/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were found to be 75.86% and 63.16%, respectively. In the pleocytosis without meningitis CSF samples and in the CSF samples diagnosed with nosocomial meningitis, the highest AUC was calculated for triple combination model of IL-6, IL-8, and D-lactate levels (AUC= 0.801, p<0.001), and double combination model IL-6 and IL-8 (AUC= 0.790) (p<0.001). Conclusion: In our study, we have concluded that IL-6, IL-8 and D-lactate levels could be diagnostic markers for nosocomial meningitis.