Proportion Of Meningitis Cases Research Articles

Declines in Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis in the Republic of Benin Following Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: Epidemiological and Etiological Findings, 2011-2016.

BackgroundPediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM) remains an important cause of disease in children in Africa. We describe findings from sentinel site bacterial meningitis surveillance in children <5 years of age in the Republic of Benin, 2011–2016.MethodsCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected from children admitted to Parakou, Natitingou, and Tanguieta sentinel hospitals with suspected meningitis. Identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) was performed by rapid diagnostic tests, microbiological culture, and/or polymerase chain reaction; where possible, serotyping/grouping was performed.ResultsA total of 10 919 suspected cases of meningitis were admitted to the sentinel hospitals. Most patients were 0–11 months old (4863 [44.5%]) and there were 542 (5.0%) in-hospital deaths. Overall, 4168 CSF samples were screened for pathogens and a total of 194 (4.7%) PBM cases were confirmed, predominantly caused by pneumococcus (98 [50.5%]). Following pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) introduction in 2011, annual suspected meningitis cases and deaths (case fatality rate) progressively declined from 2534 to 1359 and from 164 (6.5%) to 14 (1.0%) in 2012 and 2016, respectively (P < .001). Additionally, there was a gradual decline in the proportion of meningitis cases caused by pneumococcus, from 77.3% (17/22) in 2011 to 32.4% (11/34) in 2016 (odds ratio, 7.11 [95% confidence interval, 2.08–24.30]). Haemophilus influenzae meningitis fluctuated over the surveillance period and was the predominant pathogen (16/34 [47.1%]) by 2016.ConclusionsThe observed decrease in pneumococcal meningitis after PCV introduction may be indicative of changing patterns of PBM etiology in Benin. Maintaining vigilant and effective surveillance is critical for understanding these changes and their wider public health implications.

Meningitis in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Pediatric Population 2012 through 2016 and Its Association with Prior Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Abstract Background The incidence of meningitis, particularly bacterial meningitis, is decreasing due to widespread vaccine use with etiologies still due to relatively common organisms. However, risk factors for the development of meningitis are largely unknown. We describe the epidemiology of meningitis among the pediatric population of KPNC and assess the association between prior TBI and meningitis. Methods We conducted a retrospective descriptive study among KPNC pediatric patients (1 month-18 years) between July 2012 - June 2016 with an ICD-9 meningitis diagnosis. Charts were reviewed to a.) verify and classify the meningitis diagnosis and b.) ascertain prior TBI history. Cases were classified as confirmed, probable, or possible based on clinical course, CSF culture, PCR, and CSF profile. The proportion of meningitis cases with a history of TBI was compared with the published rate of TBI in the general pediatric population. Results Of 266 cases reviewed, 146 cases were verified as meningitis with 19 confirmed/probable bacterial [(S. pneumoniae (7), E. coli (3), S. Agalactiae (3), N. meningitidis (2), S. Aureus (1), and not otherwise specified (3)] and 50 confirmed/probable viral [(enterovirus (44), HSV2 (4), HSV1 (1), and WNV (1)] etiologies. An additional 77 possible cases included primarily viral etiologies (65) and a minority of possible bacterial (6) or infection-related inflammatory (6) etiologies. 120 were excluded. The overall meningitis and confirmed bacterial meningitis estimated incidence rate was 17.9 per 100,000 and 2.7 per 100,000, respectively. Twenty meningitis cases (13.7%) had a history of TBI (all of which were concussions) compared with the concussion rate in the general pediatric population reported by AL Zhang et al of 0.7% (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusion Our results are consistent with recent studies showing a decline in bacterial meningitis. Enteroviral meningitis remains the leading cause of identified etiologies. However, in a sizable proportion of cases there was no specific pathogen identified. An increased risk of developing meningitis may be associated with TBIs. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.