In contrast to observations 4 days after meningitis, the density of Dcx-immunoreactive cells did not differ significantly between runners and sedentary control animals 7 weeks after infection; the median (25th/75th percentile) was 180.5 (137.1/207.8)/mm2 vs. 128.5 (82.58/189.4)/mm2 in runners and controls respectively (P = 0.18, Mann–Whitney U-test, n = 32). This evidence concerns the gene DCX and infectious meningitis.