Before lumbar puncture, two out of 171 patients – one with pneumococcal meningitis (CSF MIF level 51,539 ng/l) and one with VZV encephalitis (CSF MIF level 5,042 ng/l) received therapy with prednisolone 5 mg/day for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic myeloid leukaemia, respectively. Here, MIF is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.