Etiology of bacterial meningitis
Christensen, A.C.; Frederiksen, W.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 150(11): 655-657
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 3354094 Document Number: 319131
During the period January 1983 to December 1986, bacterial meningitis was demonstrated in 218 patients. Meningococci, pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae were the bacteria most frequently isolated and were together responsible for 87.6% of the cases. Streptococci, Straphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were found in 18 patients. Gram-negative bacteria apart from miningococci and Haemophilus, particularly Escherichia coli, were isolated from nine paients. H. influenzae serotype b was found most frequently in young children, pneumoccal meningitis was commonest in adults while meningococci were primarily isolated from the teenage group. The diagnosis was established in 81.1% of the cases of meningococcal, pneumococcal and Haemophilus meningitis by means of direct microscopic examination of the CSF but this was the case in only 29.6% of the cases of meningitis of other etiology. The method employed showed growth in one or more of four inoculated media within the first 24 hours in 83.7% of the cases. In 23 cases growth occurred in only one medium and in 21 of the cases of this was serum broth.