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Infection and Immunity, October 2003, p. 6095-6100, Vol. 71, No. 10
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.10.6095-6100.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Streptococcus pneumoniae Damages the Ciliated Ependyma of the Brain during Meningitis

Robert A. Hirst,1,2* Bejal Gosai,1,2 Andrew Rutman,1 Peter W. Andrew,2 and Christopher O'Callaghan1

Department of Child Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX,1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9NN, United Kingdom2

Received 2 May 2003/ Returned for modification 27 June 2003/ Accepted 18 July 2003

Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis remains a disease with a poor outcome for the patient. A region of the brain that has been neglected in the study of meningitis is the ependyma, which has been identified as a location of adult pluripotent cells. In this study we have used a rat model of meningitis to examine whether the ependymal layer is affected by S. pneumoniae. The effects included localized loss of cilia, a decrease of the overall ependymal ciliary beat frequency, and damage to the ependymal ultrastructure during meningitis. In conclusion, loss of ependymal cells and ciliary function exposes the underlying neuronal milieu to host and bacterial cytotoxins and this is likely to contribute to the neuropathology commonly observed in pneumococcal meningitis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Child Health, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, P.O. Box 65, Leicester, LE2 7LX, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 116 2523018. Fax: 44 116 2525030. E-mail: rah9{at}le.ac.uk.

Editor: J. N. Weiser

Infection and Immunity, October 2003, p. 6095-6100, Vol. 71, No. 10
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.10.6095-6100.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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