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Barichello T, Rocha Catalão CH, Rohlwink UK, van der Kuip M, Zaharie D, Solomons RS, van Toorn R, Tutu van Furth M, Hasbun R, Iovino F, Namale VS. Bacterial meningitis in Africa. Front Neurol 2023; 14:822575. [PMID: 36864913 PMCID: PMC9972001 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.822575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial meningitis differs globally, and the incidence and case fatality rates vary by region, country, pathogen, and age group; being a life-threatening disease with a high case fatality rate and long-term complications in low-income countries. Africa has the most significant prevalence of bacterial meningitis illness, and the outbreaks typically vary with the season and the geographic location, with a high incidence in the meningitis belt of the sub-Saharan area from Senegal to Ethiopia. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) are the main etiological agents of bacterial meningitis in adults and children above the age of one. Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus), Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus are neonatal meningitis's most common causal agents. Despite efforts to vaccinate against the most common causes of bacterial neuro-infections, bacterial meningitis remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in Africa, with children below 5 years bearing the heaviest disease burden. The factors attributed to this continued high disease burden include poor infrastructure, continued war, instability, and difficulty in diagnosis of bacterial neuro-infections leading to delay in treatment and hence high morbidity. Despite having the highest disease burden, there is a paucity of African data on bacterial meningitis. In this article, we discuss the common etiologies of bacterial neuroinfectious diseases, diagnosis and the interplay between microorganisms and the immune system, and the value of neuroimmune changes in diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Barichello
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNESC), Criciúma, SC, Brazil
- Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Carlos Henrique Rocha Catalão
- Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Science, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Ursula K. Rohlwink
- Pediatric Neurosurgery Unit, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Neurosurgery, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Martijn van der Kuip
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dan Zaharie
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Services, Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Regan S. Solomons
- Department of Pediatric and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ronald van Toorn
- Department of Pediatric and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Marceline Tutu van Furth
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rodrigo Hasbun
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Health, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Federico Iovino
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vivian Ssonko Namale
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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