In viral meningitis the inflammatory response involves activated T cells and monocytes which are recruited into the subarachnoid space. To identify the chemotactic signals attracting the cells to the site of infection in the meninges, we measured the levels of two CXC chemokines, interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) inducible protein (IP)‐10 and monokine induced by IFN‐γ, four CC chemokines, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)‐1, RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)‐1α and MIP‐1β, as well as the cytokines interleukin (IL)‐15 and IL‐16 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients suffering from viral meningitis. The results point to an involvement of two chemokines, MCP‐1 and IP‐10, since (1) unlike the other cytokines, MCP‐1 and IP‐10 were present in 97 % and 79 % of the CSF, respectively, at concentrations sufficient to induce chemotaxis of mononuclear cells; (2) more than 90 % of the CSF of viral meningitis induced chemotaxis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and all of them induced chemotaxis of activated T cells, and (3) the CSF‐mediated chemotaxis of PBMC was inhibited by anti‐MCP‐1 antibodies and chemotaxis of activated T cells was abolished by the combination of anti‐MCP‐1 and anti‐IP‐10 antibodies. Our data provide evidence that MCP‐1 and IP‐10 lead to accumulation of activated T cells and monocytes in the CSF compartment in viral meningitis.