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A Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cell-based Model of the Human Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier to Study Bacterial Infection from the Basolateral Side
09:58

A Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cell-based Model of the Human Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier to Study Bacterial Infection from the Basolateral Side

Published on: May 6, 2016

Blast-like cells in cerebrospinal fluid of neonates. Possible germinal matrix origin

J R Fischer1, D D Davey, M L Gulley

  • 1Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242.

American Journal of Clinical Pathology
|March 1, 1989
PubMed

Insights

Primitive cell clusters (PCCs) in infant cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were identified. These immature cells, found in hydrocephalus cases, are likely germinal matrix cells, not hematopoietic cells.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Primitive cell clusters (PCCs), immature blast-like cells, have been observed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  • Their origin has been debated, with some suggesting a hematopoietic origin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nature of PCCs observed in the CSF of infants with hydrocephalus.
  • To determine the origin of PCCs using immunohistochemical analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Wright's-stained CSF cytocentrifuge specimens from four infants.
  • Immunoperoxidase staining for neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and pan-leukocyte antibodies.
  • Clinical correlation with hydrocephalus, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and Arnold-Chiari malformation.

Main Results:

  • PCCs were observed in four infants with hydrocephalus, three with IVH and one with Arnold-Chiari malformation.
  • Hemosiderin-laden macrophages were present in IVH cases, sometimes mixed with PCCs.
  • Immunoperoxidase staining showed PCCs were positive for NSE but negative for pan-leukocyte antibodies.

Conclusions:

  • The findings suggest PCCs in infant CSF are most likely germinal matrix cells.
  • This challenges previous assumptions of a hematopoietic origin for these cells.
  • PCC identification may be relevant in understanding neurological conditions in infants.

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