Amyloid and Tau Protein Concentrations in Children with Meningitis and Encephalitis

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has emerged as a growing threat to human health. It is a multifactorial disorder, in which abnormal amyloid beta metabolism and neuroinflammation have been demonstrated to play a key role. Intrathecal inflammation can be triggered by infections and precede brain damage for years. We analyzed the influence of infections of the central nervous system on biomarkers that are crucially involved in AD pathology. Analyses of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of Aβ_1-42, Aβ_1-40, Tau, and pTau proteins were performed in 53 children with neuroinfections of viral (n = 26) and bacterial origin (n = 19), and in controls (n = 8). We found no changes in CSF amyloid Aβ_1-42 concentrations, regardless of etiology. We showed an increase in tau and phosphorylated tau concentrations in purulent CNS infections of the brain, compared to other etiologies. Moreover, the total concentrations of tau in the CSF correlated with the CSF absolute number of neutrophils. These findings and the Aβ 42/40 concentration quotient discrepancies in CFS between meningitis and encephalitis suggest that infections may affect the metabolism of AD biomarkers.