Which cell type predominates in CSF during acute bacterial meningitis?

Which cell type predominates in CSF during acute bacterial meningitis?

• A. Lymphocytes
• B. Neutrophils
• C. Monocytes
• D. Eosinophils

Answer: (B)

Neutrophils are the cells that dominate CSF in acute bacterial meningitis because the infection triggers a rapid innate immune response. Neutrophils are the body's first responders to bacteria; they are quickly recruited from the blood into the CSF in response to chemotactic signals released during bacterial invasion. Their role is to phagocytose and kill bacteria, driving the characteristic neutrophilic pleocytosis seen in acute bacterial meningitis. In contrast, lymphocytes predominate in viral meningitis, monocytes/macrophages in chronic or fungal infections, and eosinophils in eosinophilic meningitis due to parasites or certain drugs.

Neutrophils are the cells that dominate CSF in acute bacterial meningitis because the infection triggers a rapid innate immune response. Neutrophils are the body's first responders to bacteria; they are quickly recruited from the blood into the CSF in response to chemotactic signals released during bacterial invasion. Their role is to phagocytose and kill bacteria, driving the characteristic neutrophilic pleocytosis seen in acute bacterial meningitis. In contrast, lymphocytes predominate in viral meningitis, monocytes/macrophages in chronic or fungal infections, and eosinophils in eosinophilic meningitis due to parasites or certain drugs.