Nonviable gram-negative bacilli were seen in smears of cerebrospinal fluid from eight infants in whom bacterial meningitis was ruled out. Tubes from commercial kits were the source of the factitious organisms.

Microbiologic causes of meningitis include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Before routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, bacterial meningitis affected almost 6000 people every year in the United States, and about half of all cases occurred in children 18 years old or younger. Prompt and accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment of bacterial meningitis in children remains a majo...

Bacterial meningitis has a poor prognosis and neurologic complications. The present study aimed to investigate the cytokine/chemokine network in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from children with bacterial meningitis and aseptic meningitis. Interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, granulocyte colony-stimulat...

No bacterial disease has undergone a more dramatic change in epidemiology during the past decade than acute bacterial meningitis. This review describes the changing epidemiology and considers some important recent observations that contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of meningitis. The major focus is on the mechanisms of neuronal injury and the pathophysiolog...

Background and Objectives: Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency with a potential for serious neurological damage or even death. Rapid diagnosis is important and henceforth critical for the early intervention by antibiotic therapy to prevent complications. Therefore the aim of the present study was to evaluate CSF ferritin levels in children with different etiologies of meningitis. Materi...

In the past century, advances in antibiotics and vaccination have dramatically altered the incidence and clinical outcomes of bacterial meningitis. We review the shifting epidemiology of meningitis in children, including after the implementation of vaccines that target common meningitic pathogens and the introduction of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis offered to mothers colonized with Strept...

Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is an uncommon cause of bacterial meningitis in immunocompetent adults. Patients with immunosuppression are at increased risk of developing serious invasive diseases, particularly meningitis. We describe a case of meningitis caused by L. monocytogenes in an immunocompetent and previously healthy 34-year-old adult. The patient received treatment with int...

Adjunctive dexamethasone saves lives in the treatment of tuberculous meningitis but this response is influenced by the patient's LTA4H genotype. Despite less certain benefit, adjunctive dexamethasone is also frequently used in the treatment of pyogenic bacterial meningitis, but the influence of LTA4H genotype on outcomes has not been previously investigated. We genotyped the LTA4H promoter regi...

In the past century, advances in antibiotics and vaccination have dramatically altered the incidence and clinical outcomes of bacterial meningitis. We review the shifting epidemiology of meningitis in children, including after the implementation of vaccines that target common meningitic pathogens and the introduction of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis offered to mothers colonized with . We a...

Background: Analysis of biofluids provides a unique window into the biochemical status of a living organism since the composition of a given biofluid will be modulated according to the level of function of the cells that are intimately concerned with its manufacture and secretion. One of the most successful approaches to biofluid analysis has been the application of NMR spectroscopy. Objective...