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NEUROLOGY / CLINICAL RESEARCH
Diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) levels for viral and autoimmune encephalitis
1
Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
2
Department of Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
3
Department of Adults Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
4
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
Submission date: 2024-09-24
Final revision date: 2025-04-29
Acceptance date: 2025-07-02
Online publication date: 2025-08-23
Publication date: 2026-04-30
Corresponding author
Karol Perlejewski
Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Medical University of Warsaw Pawinskiego 3c 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Medical University of Warsaw Pawinskiego 3c 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
Arch Med Sci 2026;22(2):841-847
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) has been reported to be a valuable diagnostic biomarker in Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). However, its utility in the diagnostics of viral and autoimmune (AE) encephalitis still remains unclear.
Material and methods:
We measured CXCL13 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected from 21 patients with viral encephalitis (17 cases of herpes simplex viral (HSV) and 4 of enteroviral (EV) encephalitis) and 6 patients with AE (5 subjects with antibodies anti-NMDAR and 1 with anti-GABA) and compared them to those found in patients with LNB (7 subjects) and multiple sclerosis (8 cases) as well as ten control subjects without neuroinflammation.
Results:
Patients with neuroinflammation had a mean level of CXCL13-CSF of 105 pg/ml compared to 29 pg/ml in controls. The highest mean level of CXCL13 in CSF was detected in LNB patients (233 pg/ml), and the lowest in controls (29 pg/ml). Significant upregulation of CXCL13-CSF levels in LNB patients was observed in comparison to viral encephalitis and MS patients as well as controls. A positive correlation between elevated chemokine levels and cell count in CSF was found in all patients (r = 0.6496; p < 0.0001), as well as in the LNB group when tested alone (r = 0.8428; p = 0.0173). A positive correlation with CSF protein levels was observed in all patients (r = 0.7216; p < 0.0001), and separately in LNB (r = 0.8573; p = 0.0137) and AE patients (r = 0.8885; p = 0.0180).
Conclusions:
The findings support the utility of CXCL13 measurements in CSF for LNB diagnosis. No specific patterns in CXCL13-CSF levels were associated with viral or autoimmune encephalitis.
Chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) has been reported to be a valuable diagnostic biomarker in Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). However, its utility in the diagnostics of viral and autoimmune (AE) encephalitis still remains unclear.
Material and methods:
We measured CXCL13 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected from 21 patients with viral encephalitis (17 cases of herpes simplex viral (HSV) and 4 of enteroviral (EV) encephalitis) and 6 patients with AE (5 subjects with antibodies anti-NMDAR and 1 with anti-GABA) and compared them to those found in patients with LNB (7 subjects) and multiple sclerosis (8 cases) as well as ten control subjects without neuroinflammation.
Results:
Patients with neuroinflammation had a mean level of CXCL13-CSF of 105 pg/ml compared to 29 pg/ml in controls. The highest mean level of CXCL13 in CSF was detected in LNB patients (233 pg/ml), and the lowest in controls (29 pg/ml). Significant upregulation of CXCL13-CSF levels in LNB patients was observed in comparison to viral encephalitis and MS patients as well as controls. A positive correlation between elevated chemokine levels and cell count in CSF was found in all patients (r = 0.6496; p < 0.0001), as well as in the LNB group when tested alone (r = 0.8428; p = 0.0173). A positive correlation with CSF protein levels was observed in all patients (r = 0.7216; p < 0.0001), and separately in LNB (r = 0.8573; p = 0.0137) and AE patients (r = 0.8885; p = 0.0180).
Conclusions:
The findings support the utility of CXCL13 measurements in CSF for LNB diagnosis. No specific patterns in CXCL13-CSF levels were associated with viral or autoimmune encephalitis.
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| eISSN: | 1896-9151 |
| ISSN: | 1734-1922 |
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