Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Mar;42(1):29-45, vii-viii.
doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2014.10.004. Epub 2014 Dec 6.

Bacterial meningitis in infants

Lawrence C Ku  1 , Kim A Boggess  2 , Michael Cohen-Wolkowiez  3
Affiliations
Review

Bacterial meningitis in infants

Lawrence C Ku et al. Clin Perinatol. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Neonatal bacterial meningitis is uncommon but devastating. Morbidity among survivors remains high. The types and distribution of pathogens are related to gestational age, postnatal age, and geographic region. Confirming the diagnosis is difficult. Clinical signs are often subtle, lumbar punctures are frequently deferred, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures can be compromised by prior antibiotic exposure. Infants with bacterial meningitis can have negative blood cultures and normal CSF parameters. Promising tests such as the polymerase chain reaction require further study. Prompt treatment with antibiotics is essential. Clinical trials investigating a vaccine for preventing neonatal Group B Streptococcus infections are ongoing.

Keywords: Antibiotics; Cerebrospinal fluid; Lumbar puncture; Neonatal bacterial meningitis; Vaccine; Very low birth weight.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence of neonatal meningitis across the world. Data from references 2, 11–15.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Polin RA, Harris MC. Neonatal bacterial meningitis. Semin Neonatol. 2001;6:157–172. - PubMed
    1. Heath PT, Okike IO, Oeser C. Neonatal meningitis: can we do better? Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011;719:11–24. - PubMed
    1. Shane AL, Stoll BJ. Recent developments and current issues in the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of bacterial and fungal neonatal sepsis. Am J Perinatol. 2013;30:131–141. - PubMed
    1. Barichello T, Fagundes GD, Generoso JS, et al. Pathophysiology of neonatal acute bacterial meningitis. J Med Microbiol. 2013;62:1781–1789. - PubMed
    1. Cohen-Wolkowiez M, Moran C, Benjamin DK, et al. Early and late onset sepsis in late preterm infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2009;28:1052–1056. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms