Findings
Searching for cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for improved early diagnosis of bacterial meningitis, we found that concentrations of the glycerophospholipid PC ae C44:6 were significantly higher in bacterial meningitis than in several other infectious and non-infectious CNS orders. When added to a diagnostic algorithm containing CSF leukocyte count and lactate concentration, it enabled the identification of a subgroup of bacterial meningitis cases that were missed by the other two parameters.
Translational significance
Free PC ae C44:6 in CSF is a promising additional biomarker for the correct diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in patients with an unusually low degree of neuroinflammation, such as immunocompromised individuals.