Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0085437 (bacterial meningitis)
 4,038 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neopterin is synthesized mainly by monocytes/macrophages and is considered to be a marker for activation of the cellular immune system. It has been reported that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopterin levels are significantly higher in patients with bacterial meningitis than in those with aseptic meningitis or non-pleocytotic CSF. In this study levels of neopterin and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were measured in children with non-pleocytotic CSF. The CSF neopterin levels were significantly higher in patients with typical febrile convulsions (FCs) (15.0 +/- 4.5 nmol/l) than in those with pyrexia without convulsions (6.5 +/- 2.7 nmol/l) or convulsions without pyrexia, namely, epilepsy (4.8 +/- 2.4 nmol/l). The CSF neopterin/serum neopterin ratio (C/S ratio) was also higher in patients with typical FCs (1.54 +/- 0.83) than in those with pyrexia without convulsions (0.32 +/- 0.18) or convulsions without pyrexia (0.77 +/- 0.28). Patients with prolonged FCs tended to have higher CSF neopterin levels than those with typical FCs. There was also a tendency for CSF IFN-gamma levels to be higher in patients with FCs than in those with pyrexia without convulsions or convulsions without pyrexia. The results of the present study suggest that some immune activation in the central nervous system (CNS) compartment may be related to the mechanisms of FCs.
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PMID:Clinical and immunological significance of neopterin measurement in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with febrile convulsions. 1052 22

Children aged 1-59 months admitted to Goroka Base Hospital with signs suggestive of meningitis were recruited to determine what proportion of such children have clinical or bacterial meningitis and to investigate the bacterial aetiology. A laboratory classification of definite, probable, possible, indeterminate and no meningitis was established. Thirty per cent of 697 children had a final clinical diagnosis of meningitis, 12% had culture-proven bacterial meningitis (case fatality rate 34%) and 10% had probable or possible meningitis. Inability to feed, vomiting, drowsiness, "staring eyes" and haemoglobin < 9 g/dl in addition to the classical signs of meningitis were associated with increased mortality. Isolates from cerebrospinal fluid were 62 pneumococci, 22 Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and one Neisseria meningitidis. Including blood culture-proven and antigen-proven Hib disease, Hib and pneumococci accounted for 44% and 46% of bacterial meningitis, respectively, and 23% of pneumococci were intermediately resistant to penicillin. Inability to feed, bulging fontanelle, convulsions in young children, neck stiffness, fever and "staring eyes" were all independently associated with bacterial meningitis. Conjugate Hib vaccine must be given to infants as early as possible. Conjugate pneumococcal vaccines, maternal immunization with 23-valent vaccine and pneumococcal protein vaccines are under investigation for prevention of pneumococcal disease.
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PMID:Aetiology and clinical signs of bacterial meningitis in children admitted to Goroka Base Hospital, Papua New Guinea, 1989-1992. 1060 17

Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci and Escherichia coli strains account for approximately two thirds of all cases of neonatal meningitis, while bacteria that typically account for meningitis in older age groups (Haemophilus influenzae type B, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae) are infrequent causes of meningitis in the neonatal population. As with other medical problems in neonates, signs and symptoms of bacterial infection of the central nervous system are generally few in number and nonspecific in nature. Manifestations that can suggest meningitis, as well as other serious illnesses, include temperature instability, lethargy, respiratory distress, poor feeding, vomiting, and diarrhea. Signs suggestive of meningeal irritation, including stiff neck, bulging fontanelle, convulsions, and opisthotonus, occur only in a minority of neonates with bacterial meningitis and cannot be relied on solely to identify such patients. Ampicillin and either gentamicin or cefotaxime are recommended for initial empiric therapy of neonatal meningitis. When the results of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture and susceptibilities are known, therapy can be narrowed to cover the specific pathogen identified. In general, penicillin G or ampicillin is preferred for group B streptococcal meningitis, ampicillin for Listeria monocytogenes meningitis, and ampicillin plus either an aminoglycoside or cefotaxime for gram-negative meningitis. For the very low birth weight neonate who has been in the nursery for a prolonged period of time, organisms such as enterococci and gentamicin-resistant gram-negative enteric bacilli must also be considered. In patients with long-term vascular catheters, Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci must also be considered. Empiric combinations of antibiotics for such patients would include ampicillin or vancomycin, plus amikacin or cefotaxime. All neonates should undergo repeat CSF examination and culture at 48 to 72 hours after initiation of therapy. If organisms are observed on gram stain, modification of the therapeutic regimen should be considered, and neuroimaging should be performed. In general, therapy should be continued for 14 to 21 days for neonatal meningitis caused by group B streptococci or L. monocytogenes, and for at least 21 days for disease caused by gram-negative enteric bacilli. All patients with neonatal meningitis should have hearing and development monitored serially. The first audiologic evaluation should occur 4 to 6 weeks after resolution of the meningitis.
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PMID:Meningitis in the Neonate. 1193 31

The emergence of resistance has imposed a modification of the protocols for the treatment of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S pneumoniae) bacterial meningitis. Amoxicillin is no longer adapted. As resistance to C3G appeared, a synergistic effect of an association C3G + vancomycine was demonstrated. Thus currently this association should be recommended in any case of meningitis supposedly due to S pneumoniae. The treatment is then modified according to the evolution and the minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of the bacteria. The strains carrying a high level of resistance to cephalosporin (MIC > or = 4 micrograms ml-1) or tolerant to vancomycine may cause a therapeutic failure despite an increase of the dosage of cephalosporin. Rifampicin, fosfomycine, or imipenem (despite its risk of convulsions), may represent alternative options, as long as we do not have safe quinolones active on resistant strains of S. pneumoniae. Dexamethasone has been formerly implicated in the relapse of pneumococcal meningitis. Furthermore, its use is questionable since no evidence of a therapeutic benefit has been clearly demonstrated. As a consequence of the resistance phenomenon the management of S. pneumoniae meningitis must include particular measures: at least resistance to penicillin must be checked by the oxacilline disk and the MIC to C3G must be measured by E test; aCSF sample should be obtained between 36 and 48 hours following the beginning of the treatment to check its sterilization. All recent studies have shown a similar prognosis of meningitis due to resistant S. pneumoniae as compared to those due to sensitive strains. However, these data should be interpreted with caution since in these studies, pneumococcus resistant to cephalosporin (the real problem) are not separated from those only resistant to penicillin. Furthermore, presently, the incidence of strains highly resistant to cephalosporin is still low. The new conjugated vaccine against pneumococcus should change the situation if its ability to prevent the circulation of resistant strains is confirmed.
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PMID:[Pneumococcal meningitis and resistant bacteria]. 1250 10

Bacterial meningitis is still a major cause of death and disability in children worldwide. With the advent of conjugate vaccines against the three major pathogens, the burden of disease is increasingly concentrated in developing countries that cannot afford the vaccines. Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem; in developed countries, high-level resistance to beta-lactams among Streptococcus pneumoniae necessitates the addition of vancomycin to third-generation cephalosporins. In many developing countries, the problems are more fundamental. Increasing resistance of S. pneumoniae to penicillin and chloramphenicol and of Haemophilus influenzae to chloramphenicol means that many children with bacterial meningitis receive ineffective treatments, as third-generation cephalosporins are often unavailable or unaffordable. Case fatality rates are as high as 50% and neurological sequelae occur in one-third of survivors. The use of corticosteroids in meningitis is controversial; the evidence that they protect against neurological complications of childhood meningitis (particularly severe hearing loss) is strongest when: meningitis is caused by H. influenzae type b; dexamethasone is given before the first dose of antibiotics; a bactericidal antibiotic such as a third-generation cephalosporin is used; and in the early stages of the infection. There are few controlled clinical trials on which to base recommendations about other adjuvant therapy for meningitis. Avoidance of secondary brain injury from hypoxia, hypotension, hypo-osmolarity and cerebral oedema, hypoglycaemia or convulsions is essential for a good outcome. The problem of bacterial meningitis will only be solved if protein-conjugate vaccines (or other effective vaccine strategies) against S. pneumonia, H. influenzae and epidemic strains of Neisseria meningitidis are available to all the world's children. Making third-generation cephalosporins affordable in the developing world is also a necessary intervention, but better antibiotics will not overcome the problems of poor access to hospitals and late presentation with established brain injury, and will inevitably bring further pressure for antimicrobial resistance.
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PMID:The management of bacterial meningitis in children. 1287 33

A retrospective study was conducted on 28 patients with bacterial meningitis who were admitted to our department between April 1988 and March 2002. The most commonly detected pathogen was group B Streptococcus in those under 1 month of age and Haemophilus influenzae (72.2%) among those over 1 month. The most commonly administered antibiotic combination (67.9%) at the initial treatment was that of cefotaxime (CTX) and ampicillin (ABPC). We encountered one case that was resistant to both CTX and ABPC. Through this experience, it became apparent that for the initial treatment of bacterial meningitis in infants, it is necessary to apply a combination of two antibiotics, instead of a single agent, and new antibiotics should be considered for such combinations rather than persisting on conventional CTX and ABPC. The aforementioned 28 patients were divided into 2 groups--7 patients (25.0%) with sequelae and 21 (75.0%) without--and various factors noted during the diagnosis were evaluated retrospectively. It was found that the number of days leading to admission at the hospital and the development of convulsions were unrelated to the prognosis. Those who succumbed or suffered sequelae were all infants under 1 year of age. All cases were caused by genus Haemophilus.
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PMID:[Clinical study of 28 children with bacterial meningitis]. 1510 8

The Haemophilus influenzae b is one of the main germs causing bacterial meningitis in children in countries where the vaccine anti-Haemophilus influenzae b is not widely used. In Madagascar, no epidemiological study on this germ has been carried out. The objective of this research is to assess the role of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis in Antananarivo and to determine its epidemiological aspects and evolution. A multicentric study coordinated by the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar included all children less than 15 years old with infectious syndromes associated to a syndrome of meningial irritation and/or convulsion and/or coma. These children were admitted in the pediatric service of the three main hospitals in Antananarivo from June 1998 and June 2000. A lumbar puncture was performed on each child; the cerebrospinal fluid was set aside for cytobacterial and biochemical controls completed with an antimicrobial sensitivity testing and a soluble antigens research. Out of 160 case studies, the Haemophilus influenzae b arrives at the second place among the agents causing bacterial meningitis in children. This type of bacteria is the source of 32% of meningitis after the Streptococcus pneumoniae (34%). It affects 96% of children less than two years old, with a maximal frequency before the age of one year. The lethality rate is 28.6% and the neurological sequelae were observed in 31.4% of patients. Haemophilus influenzae is sensitive to the third generation cephalosporins but shows high resistance to chloramphenicol (42%), amoxicillin (29%) and gentamicin (22%). The relatively high frequency as well as the high lethality rate caused by the Haemophilus influenzae b meningitis, affecting selectively the children under two years old, bring in the need to introduce the anti-Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine in the national vaccination program in Madagascar. This vaccine has proved to be efficient in many countries where it has been used. Furthermore, in the probabilistic treatment of bacterial meningitis in children, the third generation cephalosporins should be used in the first place.
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PMID:[Haemophilus influenzae, the second cause of bacterial meningitis in children in Madagascar]. 1525 50

Episodes of adult bacterial meningitis (ABM) at a Danish hospital in 1991-2000 were identified from the databases of the Department of Clinical Microbiology, and compared with data from the Danish National Patient Register and the Danish National Notification System. Reduced penicillin susceptibility occurred in 21 (23%) of 92 cases of known aetiology, compared to an estimated 6% in nationally notified cases (p < 0.001). Ceftriaxone plus penicillin as empirical treatment was appropriate in 97% of ABM cases in the study population, and in 99.6% of nationally notified cases. The notification rate was 75% for penicillin-susceptible episodes, and 24% for penicillin-non-susceptible episodes (p < 0.001). Cases involving staphylococci, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae were under-reported. Among 51 ABM cases with no identified risk factors, nine of 11 cases with penicillin-non-susceptible bacteria were community-acquired. Severe sequelae correlated independently with age, penicillin non-susceptibility, mechanical ventilation and non-transferral to a tertiary hospital (p < 0.05; logistic regression). Other factors that correlated with severe sequelae by univariate analysis only were inappropriate clinical handling, abnormal consciousness, convulsions and nosocomial infection. Overall, the data indicated that neither age alone, community-acquired infection nor absence of identified risk factors can predict susceptibility to penicillin accurately. Recommendations for empirical antibiotic treatment for ABM should not be based exclusively on clinical notification systems with possible unbalanced under-reporting.
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PMID:Adult bacterial meningitis: aetiology, penicillin susceptibility, risk factors, prognostic factors and guidelines for empirical antibiotic treatment. 1530 73

It has been reported that active oxygen and/or free radicals are produced in the central nervous system (CNS) compartment in patients with bacterial meningitis, so it is supposed that the levels of endogenous antioxidative scavengers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are elevated as an adaptive reaction to bacterial meningitis, which exerts severe stress on the human body. We assumed that they are also elevated in patients with convulsive diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) and endogenous antioxidative scavengers (glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), (total) superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), and catalase) were measured in CSF from a group of child patients with various neurological diseases and a control group. NO, GSH, and GPX activities in CSF from the patients with convulsive diseases were significantly higher than in those with aseptic meningitis or in the controls. Furthermore, all parameters in CSF from patients with bacterial meningitis were significantly higher than in any other group. The present study suggests that oxidative stress may be associated with the pathophysiology of convulsion and that its clinical attenuation will lead to improvement in the prognosis for convulsive diseases.
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PMID:A comparative study of nitric oxide, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase activities in cerebrospinal fluid from children with convulsive diseases/children with aseptic meningitis. 1637 49

The purpose of this report is to describe the bacteriological features, clinical signs and therapeutic outcome of 148 cases of W135 meningococcus meningitis observed during meningitis outbreaks in Burkina Faso in 2002 and 2003. Diagnosis was based on microbiological study of cerebrospinal fluid. Cases of meningococcus meningitis were recorded throughout the study period with the peak number of cases occurring around the 14th week. There was a slight male predominance (56.1%) and young patients between one and 15 years accounted for 81.7% of cases. The mean interval between onset of symptoms and hospitalization was 2.6 days and the mean duration of hospitalization was 5.5 days. The most common clinical signs were fever (98.6%), stiff neck (90.5%),Brudzinski's sign (85.1%),Kernig's sign (66.2%), altered consciousness (41.9%), vomiting (36.5%) and headaches (34.5%). In most cases treatment with a singie dose of chiorazuphenicol in oil was curative. Overall mortality was 15.5% idth no correlation with sex or age. Seventeen of the 23 deaths occurred within 24 hours after their admission to the hospital. The other six deaths occurred on the second day after admission inS cases and fifth day in one case. Convulsions, shock and altered consciousness were consistent poor prognostic signs. A correlation was found between mortality and interval for hospitalization with better survival in patients receiving prompt treatment. Study of the susceptibility of 102 samples showed that W135 meningococcus was sensitive to penicillin G, ampicillin,ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol but resistant to sulfamides (cotrimoxazole). Bacterial meningitis is an Important factor of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our findings indicate that the bacteriological, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of W135 meningococcus is do not differ greatly from those of meningococcus A. Since W135 meningitis is susceptible to antibiotics used to cure meningitis, campaigns to promote early detection and treatment must be continued.
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PMID:[W135 meningococcus meningitis: study of 148 cases observed in 2002 and 2003 at the National Teaching Hospital of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso]. 1677 36


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