DYSFUNCTIONAL GLYMPHATIC SYSTEM CAUSES BACTERIAL PRODUCT ACCUMULATION IN THE CSF DURING PNEUMOCOCCAL MENINGITIS

Pneumococcal meningitis, inflammation of the meninges due to an infection of the central nervous system caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, is the most common form of community-acquired bacterial meningitis globally. The brain is separated from the systemic circulation by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and meningitis triggers the host immune response increasing the BBB permeability, allowing peripheral immune cells to reach the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and increasing debris production. The glymphatic system is a glial-dependent clearance pathway that drives the exchange of compounds between the brain parenchyma and the CSF regulating the waste clearance away from the brain. Aquaporin-4(AQP4)-water channels on astrocytic endfeet regulate the solute transport of the glympathic system.