Bacterial meningitis: an update

Abstract

Antibiotics and improvements in supportive care have greatly reduced the mortality from bacterial meningitis. Nevertheless, the incidence of neurodevelopmental sequelae remains unacceptably high. Ampicillin and chloramphenicol remain the standard for antimicrobial therapy against which other agents must be compared. A number of adjunct therapies are being investigated for their possible effectiveness in reducing hearing loss and other neurologic effects of this disease. There continues to be a need for carefully performed follow-up studies to assess any possible benefit of these agents. A significant percentage of children surviving an episode of bacterial meningitis have obvious or subtle neurodevelopmental deficits. The role of the pediatric neurologist should not end with management of acute problems such as seizures but should be expanded to aid in close developmental monitoring of these high-risk children.