T cell subsets in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid from children with aseptic meningitis

T cell subsets in peripheral blood (PB) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from patients with aseptic meningitis were studied using quantitative two-color fluorescence analysis with a flow cytometer. The percentage of HLA-DR+/CD3+ lymphocytes (activated T cells) in CSF was significantly increased in the recovery phase when compared to the acute phase, while no significant change in the activated T cells in PB was observed. More interestingly, CD4+ T lymphocytes in CSF were increased in the acute phase and subsequently decreased in the recovery phase. Instead, CD8+ T lymphocytes gradually accumulated into the CSF in the recovery phase, resulting in a successive decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio. On the other hand, the CD4/CD8 ratio in PB remained normal during the course of aseptic meningitis. The present results suggest that T lymphocytes (CD4+ subset in the acute phase and CD8+ in the recovery phase) could be infiltrated and further activated at the site of inflammation, possibly in the subarachnoid space in the patients with aseptic meningitis.