Granulocytes in cerebrospinal fluid of adults suspected of a central nervous system infection: a prospective study of diagnostic accuracy

• Published in: Infection 2024-08, Vol.52 (4), p.1415-1423
• Main Authors: Staal, Steven L., Olie, Sabine E., ter Horst, Liora, van Zeggeren, Ingeborg E., van de Beek, Diederik, Brouwer, Matthijs C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autoimmune diseases; Bacteria; Central nervous system; Central Nervous System Infections - cerebrospinal fluid; Central Nervous System Infections - diagnosis; Cerebrospinal fluid; Cerebrospinal Fluid - chemistry; Cerebrospinal Fluid - cytology; Diagnostic systems; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Granulocytes; Humans; Infections; Infectious Diseases; Internal Medicine; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Leukocytes (granulocytic); Male; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meningitis; Meningitis, Bacterial - cerebrospinal fluid; Meningitis, Bacterial - diagnosis; Meningoencephalitis; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Netherlands; Neurological diseases; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0300-8126; 1439-0973; 1439-0973
• DOI: 10.1007/s15010-024-02200-5

Purpose Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) granulocytes are associated with bacterial meningitis, but information on its diagnostic value is limited and primarily based on retrospective studies. Therefore, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of CSF granulocytes. Methods We analyzed CSF granulocytes (index test) from all consecutive patients in two prospective cohort studies in the Netherlands. Both studies included patients ≥ 16 years, suspected of a central nervous system (CNS) infection, who underwent a diagnostic lumbar puncture. All episodes with elevated CSF leukocytes (≥ 5 cells per mm 3 ) were selected and categorized by clinical diagnosis (reference standard). Results Of 1261 episodes, 625 (50%) had elevated CSF leukocytes and 541 (87%) were included. 117 of 541 (22%) were diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, 144 (27%) with viral meningoencephalitis, 49 (9%) with other CNS infections, 76 (14%) with CNS autoimmune disorders, 93 (17%) with other neurological diseases and 62 (11%) with systemic diseases. The area under the curve to discriminate bacterial meningitis from other diagnoses was 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95–0.98) for CSF granulocyte count and 0.93 (95% CI 0.91–0.96) for CSF granulocyte percentage. CSF granulocyte predominance occurred in all diagnostic categories. A cutoff at 50% CSF granulocytes gave a sensitivity of 94% (95% CI 90–98), specificity of 80% (95% CI 76–84), negative predictive value of 98% (95% CI 97–99) and positive predictive value of 57% (95% CI 52–62). Conclusion CSF granulocytes have a high diagnostic accuracy for bacterial meningitis in patients suspected of a CNS infection. CSF granulocyte predominance occurred in all diagnostic categories, limiting its value in clinical practice.