Human macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels in cerebrospinal fluid

Abstract Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of 14 patients with meningitis and of 14 patients suffering from a disease other than meningitis were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All four bacterial meningitis patients had M-CSF levels in the cerebrospinal fluid which exceeded 1540 U/ml, and the mean value was 3333 ± 1481 U/ml. The mean M-CSF level in the cerebrospinal fluid of the ten aseptic meningitis patients was 393 ± 175 U/ml, which was higher than that of patients who suffered from a disease other than meningitis (179 ± 90 U/ml) ( P