Childhood bacterial meningitis in Riyadh

Abstract

One hundred and six patients with culture-positive bacterial meningitis were admitted to Sulemania Children's Hospital, Riyadh, from February 1985 to July 1990. The most common organisms causing meningitis in children older than 1 month were Hemophilus influenzae type b (N = 61), Streptococcus pneumoniae (N = 19), and Neisseria meningitidis (N = 14). Among neonates, the most common organism causing meningitis was Group B beta-hemolytic streptococcus (N = 4). Of the cases of Hemophilus influenzae, 4.9% were resistant to both ampicillin and chloramphenicol. Forty-two patients were pretreated with antibiotics. The mortality rate was 2.8%. We describe the clinical and laboratory findings in these patients. We also discuss the implications of our findings in relation to the choice of antibiotics.