Suppurative Bacterial Meningitis: A 6 Year Study*

In this study, 54 of 7304 patients admitted at MCU-FDTMF Hospital were clinically diagnosed to have suppurative meningitis. Of this, 40 had CSF cytology suggestive of bacterial meningitis with 27 cases confirmed by culture. The clinical signs and symptoms commonly present in all age groups were fever, seizures and meningeal signs regardless of the etiologic pathogen isolated. In 77%, CSF showed leukocytosis with predominance of polymorphonuclear cells, decreased sugar and increased protein content. A positive cellular and chemical analysis of spinal fluid yielded a high sensitivity and a specificity of 34 and 54 per cent respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of suppurative meningitis between well-nourished and malnourished infants and children. [Phil J Microbiol Infect Dis 1986; 73-76] Key Words: meningitis, suppurative bacterial meningiti