Meningitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Meningitis, including details on viral, bacterial, spinal, symptoms, treatment.

Clinical observation of meningitis caused by penicillin-susceptible and -non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwanese children.

Chen SH, Yen MH, Chiu CH, Yan DC, Hsu CY, Lin TY

Division of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

AIM: To compare differences between clinical features and outcome in bacterial meningitis caused by penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PSSP) with that caused by penicillin-non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSP). METHODS: All patients <18 yrs hospitalised with pneumococcal meningitis between January 1984 and December 2002 at Chang Gung Children's Hospital, Taipei were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 28 PNSP (63.6%) and 16 PSSP cases of meningitis eligible for the study. The incidence of PNSP meningitis increased significantly over the 8-yr period (p = 0.007). Age <4 yrs (78.6% vs 50%), a lower initial white blood count (mean 11.7 vs 19.9 x10(9)/L), admission to the intensive care unit (70.4% vs 50%) and mortality (28.6% vs 6.3%) were more common in the PNSP group. However, the only significant finding was a lower proportion of polymorphic neutrophils in the CSF of the PNSP meningitis group (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: There was an increase in PNSP isolates from patients with meningitis over the 8-yr study period. No major differences were observed in clinical or laboratory features or outcome between the PSSP and PNSP groups.

Published 23 August 2006 in Ann Trop Paediatr, 26(3): 181-5.
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