Treatment of bacterial meningitis

Hospital-based study of the prognostic factors in adult patients with acute community-acquired bacterial meningitis in Tokyo, Japan

BACKGROUND

Prognostic factors related to community-acquired bacterial meningitis (BM) in adult patients have been evaluated using multivariate analysis in The Netherlands, where the rate of antibiotic resistance was low. However, an evaluation of these factors in countries with a high rate of antibiotic resistance has not yet been done. Thus, we studied the prognostic factors in adults with community-acquired BM in our hospitals, which are located in Tokyo, Japan, where the rate of antibiotic resistance is high.

METHODS

We selected 71 consecutive adult patients with community-acquired BM in which the pathogens were identified and then classified the patients into two groups based on the Glasgow Outcome Scale: a favorable outcome group (n=48), and an unfavorable outcome group (n=23). Their clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed using single logistic regression analysis followed by multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The overall mortality rate was 23%. The rate of antibiotic resistance was 54.9%. The most common resistant bacteria were penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) at the initiation of antibiotic therapy and a low thrombocyte count were identified as significant unfavorable prognostic factors (GCS: p=0.020, odds ratio=0.528, 95%CI=0.309-0.902; thrombocyte count: p=0.037, odds ratio=0.802, 95%CI=0.652-0.987). The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was not identified as a prognostic factor.

CONCLUSION

Patients with a low GCS at the initiation of antibiotic therapy and low thrombocyte counts had unfavorable outcomes. With appropriate antibiotic administration, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria were not identified as an unfavorable prognostic factor, even in an area with a high rate of antibiotic resistance.

Community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults: categorization of causes and timing of death

The relationship between cause and timing of death in 294 adults who had been hospitalized with community-acquired bacterial meningitis was investigated. For 74 patients with community-acquired bacterial meningitis who died during hospitalization, the underlying and immediate causes of death were identified according to the criteria of the World Health Organization and National Center for Health Statistics. Patients were classified into 3 groups: category I, in which meningitis was the underlying and immediate cause of death (59% of patients; median duration of survival, 5 days); category II, in which meningitis was the underlying but not immediate cause of death (18%; median duration of survival, 10 days); and category III, in which meningitis was neither the underlying nor immediate cause of death (23%; median duration of survival, 32 days). In a substantial proportion of adults hospitalized with community-acquired bacterial meningitis, meningitis was neither the immediate nor the underlying cause of death. A 14-day survival end point discriminated between deaths attributable to meningitis and those with another cause.

Cefepime in the empiric treatment of meningitis in children

BACKGROUND

Because the introduction of extended spectrum cephalosporins into pediatric practice offers a number of choices for treatment, we review efficacy studies of cefepime monotherapy in the treatment of bacterial meningitis in children.

METHODS

Two open, randomized, comparative studies assessed the efficacy of cefepime empiric monotherapy in the treatment of bacterial meningitis in 345 pediatric patients. These studies were conducted in Latin America and compared cefepime (50 mg/kg/dose every 8 h) with either cefotaxime (50 mg/kg/dose every 6 h) or ceftriaxone (50 mg/kg/dose every 12 h). Patients 2 months to 14 years old who had clinical signs and symptoms consistent with a central nervous system infection were enrolled. Efficacy was based on clinical and bacteriologic response.

RESULTS

Integrated results from the Latin American studies indicated a 75% cure rate with cefepime vs. a 78% cure rate with comparator, among evaluable patients. Overall the rate of treatment failure was 12%. Haemophilus influenzae had the highest bacterial eradication rate (97% overall), and rates were comparable in cefepime and comparator arms. Eradication rates for Neisseria meningitidis were equally high in both treatment arms (95% overall), and the eradication rate for Streptococcus pneumoniae was 92% overall. Of the patients with S. pneumoniae isolated during pretreatment (from either cerebrospinal fluid or blood), 11 (16 isolates in total) had their isolates tested against penicillin and all were susceptible. Presence or absence of seizures, level of consciousness, Glasgow Coma Score and duration of signs and symptoms were strong predictors of outcome. Collectively no specific safety concerns were identified.

CONCLUSION

Cefepime represents an important therapeutic option for the empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis in children, based on the good clinical response and bacteriologic eradication rates observed in this review.

Bacterial Meningitis: Principles and Practical Aspects of Therapy

Acute bacterial meningitis continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Recent research efforts to improve outcome for such patients have focused on antibiotic-cerebrospinal fluid interactions, factors influencing antibiotic selection, indications for cranial imaging, the role of anti-inflammatory agents, and the impact of antibiotic timing on outcome. In this article, I use an illustrative case to review timely data on these topics and provide guidelines for the empiric and pathogen-directed treatment of patients with acute bacterial meningitis.