查看文章

Serum samples taken on admission from 79 patients with meningococcal meningitis, septicaemia, or both, were examined in a highly sensitive bioassay for tumour necrosis factor (TNF). TNF was detected in samples from 10 of 11 patients who died but from only 8 of 68 survivors. All 5 patients with serum TNF levels over 440 units/ml (corresponding to 0·1 ng/ml recombinant TNF) died.