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Query: UMLS:C0085437 (bacterial meningitis)
 4,038 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cerebrospinal fluid lactate was determined in 54 pediatric patients by means of enzymatic method of Marbach and Weil. The mean value of cerebrospinal fluid lactate in 13 purulent meningitis patients was 80.4 mg/dl, in 9 clinical purulent meningitis patients was 72.7 mg/dl, in 18 non-purulent meningitis patients and 14 controls were 17.0 and 11.8 mg/dl respectively. The present study demonstrated that a cerebrospinal fluid lactate level of 35 mg/dl may be used as a cut off point to differentiate bacterial from non-bacterial infection of the central nervous system. It should served as a supplementary aid to clinical examinations and conventional methods to diagnose bacterial meningitis.
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PMID:Cerebrospinal fluid lactate level in childhood purulent meningitis. 663 57

Antimicrobial agents for the treatment of bacterial meningitis and other pyogenic intracranial infections have now been in use for approximately 45 years. The last decade, however, has been a period of tremendous advances in knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and other characteristics of the available drugs. The identification of factors that affect their in vivo metabolism and excretion, the importance of drug interactions, and the development of methods for estimation of serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels have added both complexity and sophistication to the clinical utilization of the antimicrobial agents. The number of available antimicrobials has expanded greatly during recent years, although the penicillins, chloramphenicol, and the aminoglycosides remain the mainstay of antibiotic treatment in the majority of cases of bacterial infection of the central nervous system.
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PMID:Treatment of bacterial infections of the central nervous system. 701 53

The reaction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) granulocytes in the nitroblue-tetrazolium test (NBT test) was evaluated. In a previous study, methodological problems were resolved, and the method developed by Park et al, was modified to suit the special conditions of the CSF. Thirty-eight CSF specimens from 26 patients were analysed. It appears that NBT test results with CSF granulocytes are significantly positive--according to the criteria developed by Park for blood granulocytes--when bacterial meningitis is present. If the cause of the pleocytosis is not bacterial in nature, then the test results are negative in most cases, provided that the CSF sample contains little or no blood. The NBT test in bloody CSF may produce positive results no matter what the cause of the pleocytosis. Our results suggest that the NBT test is a general, non-specific indicator of granulocyte stimulation. It reflects the ability of granulocytes to react to a stress situation of the organism. Bacterial infection results in a conspicuously large number of stimulated (i.e. NBT positive) granulocytes.
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PMID:The Significance of the nitroblue-tetrazolium test in cerebrospinal fluid granulocytes in bacterial and abacterial meningitis. 702 31

The level of lactic acid in cerebrospinal fluid has been suggested as a useful diagnostic parameter to differentiate between bacterial and viral meningitis, especially in patients partially treated before admission to hospital. A concentration of greater than or equal to 35 mg/dl, determined by either gas-liquid chromatography or an enzymatic method, has been considered in several studies to provide definite evidence of meningitis of bacterial origin, whereas a lower level indicates no bacterial involvement. Over the past 18 months, we have analyzed by the enzymatic method the lactate level in 493 spinal fluids submitted from 434 adult patients with various conditions involving the central nervous system. Fifty fluids had a lactate level of greater than 35 mg/dl, of which 19 were cases of infective meningitis of varying etiology. The 435 specimens with lactate levels within the range considered normal included three cases of infective meningitis, of which two were cryptococcal and one was bacterial. In this adult study, the lactate level in the cerebrospinal fluid did not provide unequivocal evidence of bacterial infection and did not provide assistance to any greater degree than the standard parameters of leukocyte count, protein, and glucose contents in the differential diagnosis of bacterial meningitis from that of any other etiology.
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PMID:Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid levels as an aid in differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral meningitis in adults. 737 96

We examined the measurement and the diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6 (CSF IL-6) in meningitis. The cytokine was measured by bioassay (B9 hybridoma cell line) and by immunoassay (in-house radioimmunoassay). We compared the diagnostic value of CSF IL-6 determination with that of other biochemical markers of meningitis. Although there was significant correlation between bioactive and immunoactive IL-6 (r = 0.724, P < 0.001), results were frequently different with biological/immunological ratios ranging from 0.2 to 24.3 (mean 4.6). Gel permeation chromatography suggested that the discrepancy in biological and immunological activities was not due to molecular heterogeneity, but may be explained by the presence of a synergistic factor. Interleukin-6 concentration was markedly elevated in CSF from most patients with bacterial meningitis compared to patients with viral meningitis and those without evidence of infection. However, low IL-6 levels by radioimmunoassay did not exclude bacterial meningitis (sensitivity 86%). CSF total protein and CSF glucose were significantly different between all three groups, but there was no significant difference in lactate concentration between virally infected and normal CSF, both of which had lower lactate concentrations than those in bacterial infection. CSF IL-6 measurement had greater sensitivity, specificity and predictive value than these other biochemical markers, and hence a rapid assay for IL-6 in CSF may contribute to the early diagnosis of bacterial infection.
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PMID:Cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6 and its diagnostic value in the investigation of meningitis. 763 33

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a major cause of serious bacterial infection in early childhood. In many developed countries it is the commonest cause of bacterial meningitis in children under 5 years of age. Serum antibodies to the polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) capsule, the main virulence factor of Hib, are protective, but the early vaccines containing purified PRP were poorly immunogenic in young children. However, 'second generation' protein conjugate vaccines have been shown to be immunogenic, effective and safe in young children. No serious adverse reactions to Hib vaccine have been reported to date. Clinically, the vaccine is indicated in the first few months of life and can be given at the same time as a primary course of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) immunisation. The vaccine should be given by deep subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. The only specific contraindication is a history of severe local reaction or a general reaction to previous Hib vaccination. Routine immunisation of infants under 6 months of age against Hib has become part of the regular primary schedule in many countries. In Finland this has resulted in a dramatic decline in Hib meningitis.
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PMID:Rational use of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine. 769 29

We present a systematic review of meningitis associated with transsphenoidal surgery. Patients present within the first 4 days after surgery with symptoms of headache, fever, and confusion. Overt cerebrospinal rhinorrhea or nuchal rigidity at the time of presentation is an infrequent finding. Although postoperative aseptic meningitis may be difficult to distinguish from early bacterial meningitis, the findings of hypoglycorrhachia, pleocytosis, and hyperproteinemia in the setting of fever and neurological deficit strongly suggest bacterial infection. The preponderance of cases of gram-negative meningitis observed in this series and in previous reports related to posttraumatic CSF leaks indicates that empirical regimens should include agents suitable for treating infections caused by nosocomial pathogens. In general, patients with uncomplicated meningitis in this setting can be expected to recover and do well. Questions remain as to the role of prophylactic antibiotics in the development of gram-negative meningitis in the setting of transsphenoidal surgery. A multicenter trial might be better able to define this role.
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PMID:Gram-negative meningitis associated with transsphenoidal surgery: case reports and review. 803 9

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total protein (TP) and white cell count with differential (WCC) have been measured in 24 patients presenting with acute bacterial or viral meningitis and also in a non-infected, non-inflamed control group (n = 24). In acute viral meningitis, CRP levels were not raised when compared to controls and there was a discordance between high levels of the primary inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and TNF) and the low measured CRP levels. CRP levels were raised in cases of bacterial meningitis. A concentration of 100 ng/mL CRP had a sensitivity of 87% for bacterial meningitis. TNF concentrations in the CSF were significantly raised in cases of acute bacterial meningitis (P < 0.001). Smaller but variable elevations were seen in the patients with acute viral meningitis. One patient, who succumbed to bacterial infection, showed low CSF levels of CRP, TNF and WCC but an elevated IL-6 concentration. Another, presenting with low CSF WCC, had raised concentrations of CRP, TNF and IL-6 which pointed to the correct diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis. The development of methods yielding rapid analysis for these cytokines together with a sensitive assay for CRP in CSF would be a useful adjunct to conventional investigation.
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PMID:The use of cytokine and C-reactive protein measurements in cerebrospinal fluid during acute infective meningitis. 806 66

We reviewed 356 consecutive cases of febrile infants aged 8 to 12 weeks who received outpatient evaluation for sepsis over 4 years. Thirty-three infants (9.3%) had a serious bacterial infection (SBI), including bacterial meningitis, bacteremia, urinary tract infection (UTI), and Salmonella enteritis. The SBI rate, which was directly proportional to fever height, was significantly greater for infants with hyperpyrexia (35%) than those with lesser degrees of fever (7.7%) and for infants with peripheral blood leukocytosis (total WBC count > or = 15,000/mm3; 25%) than those with lesser total WBC counts (5.8%). An attending-level physician judged that 67% of infants with SBI appeared to be "well," including five or eight cases (63%) of bacteremia, 14 of 17 cases (82%) of UTI, and all three cases of Salmonella enteritis, whereas all five patients with bacterial meningitis appeared to be "ill." Urinalysis abnormalities indicative of UTI were present in 15 of 17 infants (88%) who had this infection. SBIs are not uncommon in febrile infants aged 8 to 12 weeks and occur significantly more often in those with either hyperpyrexia or peripheral blood leukocytosis.
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PMID:The clinical characteristics and infectious outcomes of febrile infants aged 8 to 12 weeks. 820 Jan 62

Cytokines are involved in the host response to bacterial infections. In bacterial meningitis, intrathecal synthesis of TNF-alpha and IL-1 is likely to contribute to CNS injury by recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells with subsequent release of toxic factors, such as reactive oxygen intermediates and excitatory amino acids (glutamate), leading to neuronal cell death with neurologic sequelae. In rats with experimental meningitis, pretreatment with TGF-beta inhibits cerebrovascular changes and brain edema formation in the early, TNF-alpha-independent phase. Provided its local production in bacterial infection, TGF-beta may comprise a host factor interfering with immune pathologic events altering the integrity of the endothelial barrier.
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PMID:Immune-mediated injury in bacterial meningitis. 845 12


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