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Mollaret's meningitis: a case with increased circulating natural killer cells
Annals of Neurology
|September 1, 1986
Summary
During Mollaret's meningitis attacks, patients show a temporary rise in natural killer (NK) cells. These elevated NK cell counts normalize after the acute phase, suggesting a link between NK cells and meningitis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Neurology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Mollaret's meningitis is a recurrent meningitis characterized by aseptic inflammation.
- Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes crucial for innate immunity and tumor surveillance.
Observation:
- A patient with chronic Mollaret's meningitis exhibited a significant increase in circulating large granular lymphocytes (LGLs) during an acute episode.
- Specifically, 73% of peripheral mononuclear cells were LGLs, and 80% expressed the Leu-11a marker.
Findings:
- The elevated LGL and Leu-11a-positive cell counts returned to baseline levels within three months post-attack.
- Morphological similarities were observed between Mollaret's cells and LGLs.
Implications:
- This suggests a potential role for NK cells in the pathogenesis or immune response during Mollaret's meningitis.
- Further research may elucidate the specific mechanisms linking NK cell activity to recurrent meningitis.