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What Causes Increased White Blood Cells In CSF?
Question: My spinal tap shows no abnormalities except the culture shows many WBC's. I have been through many tests for MS or something similar. Very confused right now. Why would increased WBC show in my culture but not in the CSF cell count?
Brief Answer:
It can not.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
In fact your perplexity is justified as there can not be increased WBC in a culture. A culture means creating laboratory conditions for multiplication of germs, usually bacteria, contained in a tissue sample such as CSF in this case. It doesn't even count cells, it checks for the formation and growth of colonies of germs. So it can not have detected increased WBC, WBC do not multiplicate to form colonies.
I suggest you contact your doctor to clarify the result, I believe there must have been a mistake somewhere in the information transmission.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
It can not.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
In fact your perplexity is justified as there can not be increased WBC in a culture. A culture means creating laboratory conditions for multiplication of germs, usually bacteria, contained in a tissue sample such as CSF in this case. It doesn't even count cells, it checks for the formation and growth of colonies of germs. So it can not have detected increased WBC, WBC do not multiplicate to form colonies.
I suggest you contact your doctor to clarify the result, I believe there must have been a mistake somewhere in the information transmission.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you. I have attached the lab result. I did contact my MD on friday but still have not recieved a call. It can be quite difficult to get answers ive found;)
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the report.
Actually it confirms that there are no increased WBC in the culture, the culture shows nothing.
The increased WBC have been noted during the microscopic examination for Gram stain, an exam done not so much for cell counting but for differentiating bacteria by applying a special XXXXXXX (no bacteria found in your case).
Anyway regarding your question, the answer remains that it can't have no WBC on cytologic examination (cell count) and many on gram stain. Had there been only a few cells it might have been an acceptable difference between samples (normal is 0-10 cells), but you can't have no cells on one and many on the other at the same time.
So if the cell count shows no WBC the validity of that gram stain sample is questionable in my opinion (more prone to believe cell count, done for that particular purpose), it might have been contaminated by blood or some other issue. If in doubt test can be repeated on a later date.
I hope to have been of help.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the report.
Actually it confirms that there are no increased WBC in the culture, the culture shows nothing.
The increased WBC have been noted during the microscopic examination for Gram stain, an exam done not so much for cell counting but for differentiating bacteria by applying a special XXXXXXX (no bacteria found in your case).
Anyway regarding your question, the answer remains that it can't have no WBC on cytologic examination (cell count) and many on gram stain. Had there been only a few cells it might have been an acceptable difference between samples (normal is 0-10 cells), but you can't have no cells on one and many on the other at the same time.
So if the cell count shows no WBC the validity of that gram stain sample is questionable in my opinion (more prone to believe cell count, done for that particular purpose), it might have been contaminated by blood or some other issue. If in doubt test can be repeated on a later date.
I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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