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)

The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were analyzed in 139 patients with meningitis and in 20 control subjects. Elevated concentrations were observed in 42 (82%) of 51 patients with purulent bacterial meningitis (18/24 Haemophilus influenzae, 13/14 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 7/7 Neisseria meningitidis, and 4/6 with other purulent bacterial etiology). In contrast, elevated levels were found in only 5 of 78 individuals with nonbacterial meningitis (2/8 with herpes simplex type 2, 3/3 with varicella-zoster virus). Thus, the positive and negative predictive values were 0.89 for indicating a purulent bacterial meningitis. Raised CSF TNF alpha levels were observed in 7 of 8 patients with purulent bacterial meningitis in whom the routinely used parameters did not unequivocally indicate the diagnosis. Moderately increased levels were seen in 5 of 6 patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis meningitis and in 1 of 4 cases of Borrelia burgdorferi. Thus, the present study indicates that concentrations of TNF alpha in CSF usually can discriminate between purulent bacterial and nonbacterial meningitis. These findings may contribute diagnostic guidance with routinely used CSF parameters.
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PMID:Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with meningitis of different etiologies: high levels of TNF alpha indicate bacterial meningitis. 845 Feb 54

Bacterial meningitis is a serious threat to global health, particularly in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the etiological agents of acute bacterial meningitis, its clinical features, and antibacterial susceptibility among Iranian children who were admitted to a referral regional children's hospital. Laboratory data as well as symptoms and signs on admission, organism identification and antibiotic susceptibility results, physical examination findings, and neurologic features of 31 patients with suspected invasive bacterial infection were evaluated, of which 20 (64.5%) had positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures. The microorganisms most commonly associated with bacterial meningitis in children were Streptococcus pneumoniae (7 isolates, 22.5%), Haemophilus influenzae (3 isolates, 10%), and Neisseria meningitidis (3 isolates, 10%). In our study, the rate of mortality and sequelae were 10% and 35%, respectively. Ventriculomegaly hydrocephalus was found in 1 case positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis meningitis, while other signs of meningitis were negative. According to our results, abnormalities including brain edema, subdural effusion, microabscess, and ventriculomegaly hydrocephalus were observed in 50% of the patients with confirmed bacterial meningitis; therefore, identification of predictors of early neurological complications is highly recommended. In addition, CSF culture using the BACTEC automated system is recommended for detection of the etiologic agents of bacterial meningitis, particularly in a population like ours, in which the patients receive a course of antibiotics without prescription.
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PMID:Acute bacterial meningitis among children admitted into an Iranian referral children's hospital. 2427 Jan 38