title: Treatment of childhood bacterial meningitis.
abstract: One hundred and eighty-seven children with identified bacterial meningitis were treated with intravenous cefotaxime: 15 patients were neonates, 79 infants, and 93 were aged from 1 to 14 years. Causative organisms were: Neisseria meningitidis in 80 cases, Streptococcus pneumoniae in 41, Haemophilus influenzae in 40, enteric gram-negative bacilli in 20 and Staphylococcus spp. in six. Enteric gram-negative bacilli included: Salmonella spp. in 14 cases, Klebsiella pneumoniae in two, and Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sakazakii and Acinobacter calcoaceticus in one each; in one case the organism was not specified. Daily dose of cefotaxime was 150 to 300 mg/kg. Concomitant treatment with an aminoglycoside was used in seven cases. One hundred and seventy-two patients (92.0%) were cured. Fever persisted for a mean of five days and meningeal signs for a mean of four days. Fifteen (8.0%) patients died: most [13] of them were admitted in coma, and two in shock. Death occurred in the first 48 h in ten cases. Sterilization of CSF was achieved in the first 72 h of treatment in 155 (90.1%) of the cured patients. Cefotaxime was well tolerated. CSF penetration of cefotaxime was evaluated in seven patients: concentrations ranged from 0.499 mg/l to 2.829 mg/l. Based on this clinical study, cefotaxime is an effective and safe drug for the treatment of childhood bacterial meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Hospital S. Joao, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lecour
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seara
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miranda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D002439:Cefotaxime / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D002439:Cefotaxime