Streptococcal meningoencephalitis dynamically shapes developmental monocyte and macrophage trajectories in the CNS

Macrophages in the meninges, especially in the dura mater sheathing the brain from the skull, are involved in the immune defense of the central nervous system (CNS). However, their site-specific origin and function, both in steady state and in bacterial CNS infections are incompletely understood. Using an intravenous model of streptococcal meningoencephalitis that mimics hematogenous dissemination in humans, we found that bacteria accumulated predominantly in the leptomeninges and dura, whereas invasion into the brain parenchyma was rare. However, monocyte infiltration into the leptomeninges and parenchyma strongly correlated with disease severity.

In the dura, infection triggered activation and loss of resident macrophages, followed by rapid engraftment of inflammatory monocytes that transiently replenished the dural macrophage niche. Under homeostasis, dural monocytes were supplied independently of CCR2 from adjacent skull bone marrow. In infection, however, this local reservoir was rapidly exhausted, and the markedly increased demand for monocytes required mobilization from peripheral bone marrow sources, revealing context-dependent heterogeneity in monocyte origin. Infection also reshaped ontogeny of this differential monocyte output, with an increase in Monocyte-Dendritic Cell Progenitor - derived monocytes (MDP-Mo). MDP-Mo exhibited enhanced MHC-II expression and persisted in the brain during the resolution phase together with CD4⁺ T cells, suggesting a role in antigen presentation after bacterial clearance.

Together, these findings reveal a highly dynamic and compartment-specific remodeling of monocyte ontogeny, recruitment, and differentiation across CNS borders during bacterial meningoencephalitis. These mechanisms may offer opportunities for therapeutic interventions in the future.