Moreover, we found significantly increased adherence of the THP-1 cells to the infected hBMECs, compared with that to the control cells, whereas this enhanced cell-cell adherence was completely blocked when ICAM-1 was knocked out (Fig. 6c), suggesting an ICAM-1-mediated neutrophils or monocyte recruitment in response to meningitic E. coli infection. Here, ICAM1 is linked to escherichia coli infection.