Cerebrospinal fluid proteome maps detect pathogen-specific host response patterns in meningitis

Meningitis is a life-threatening condition characterized by the inflammation of the leptomeningeal membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The term meningitis is an umbrella term and includes several different etiologies. Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is one of the leading causes of death due to infectious diseases worldwide and is associated with rapid disease progression, high mortality rates and increased risk of long-term neurological sequelae in survivors. As meningitis is caused by numerous different pathogens, the host-response is typically highly variable and it is currently unknown if different pathogens can introduce specific proteome changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). By using LC-MS/MS we have generated assay libraries of 8 unique bacterial strains that commonly cause meningitis. These libraries can be used to mine CSF of meningitis samples to detect bacterial peptides.