When including culture-negative bacterial meningitis and viral meningitis with unknown pathogen, CSF PTX3 remained significantly increased among patients with bacterial meningitis compared to patients with viral meningitis (p<0.0001), viral encephalitis (p = 0.012), Lyme neuroborreliosis (p<0.0001), and controls (p<0.0001). The gene discussed is PTX3; the disease is Lyme disease.