title: Once daily ceftriaxone for meningococcemia and meningococcal meningitis.
abstract: Twenty children with meningococcal disease (15 with meningococcal meningitis and 5 with meningococcemia without meningitis) were treated with ceftriaxone, 80 to 100 mg/kg/day for 4 days. An additional 22 patients with meningococcal disease (13 with meningitis, 9 with meningococcemia without meningitis) were treated with penicillin G. On the basis of the Damrosch-Stiehm scoring system, 19 patients were classified in the poor prognostic group and were treated with antishock therapy. Clinical recovery time and normalization of CSF were compared in two groups. When the complications were compared, necrotic skin lesions were more frequently seen in the penicillin G group than in those who received ceftriaxone. Ceftriaxone is an effective and safe drug and offers the advantage of once daily administration for treatment of meningococcal disease in pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sami Ulus Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gür
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ertem
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ece
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Türkmen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deniz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gürman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuncer
mesh_terms: D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D002443:Ceftriaxone; D010400:Penicillin G