Bacterial meningitis - Current controversies in approaches to treatment

Acute bacterial meningitis continues to be a disease with unacceptably high mortality and morbidity rates in both adults and children worldwide, despite advances in antibacterial therapy. Death or permanent disability occurs frequently. The causative organism varies with age, immune function and immunisation status. Infection with Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is associated with the majority of cases, with Listeria monocytogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae being more prevalent pathogens at the extremes of age (<3 months or > 50 years). Antibacterial resistance is an increasing problem, particularly in pneumococcal bacteria but increasingly in other organisms. The increasing prevalence of resistance of pneumococcus to penicillin and the cephalosporins complicates therapy and may have an important impact on treatment outcome. Increased understanding of the pathophysiology has allowed advances in diagnosis and therapy. The use of adjunctive corticosteroids remains controversial, but is probably beneficial in reducing neurological sequelae in children. In adults the evidence is less clear. Vaccination has virtually eradicated Hib meningitis in some countries. Recent introduction of a conjugate vaccine against serogroup C meningococci in the UK has caused a dramatic reduction in the incidence of invasive disease due to this organism. A 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine promises a similar reduction in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease. In the meantime, the emergence of widespread resistance of organisms to antibacterial agents, in particular among the common organisms causing bacterial meningitis, remains the biggest challenge in therapy.