title: [Normocellular bacterial meningitis].
abstract: Bacterial meningitis is usually associated with pleocytosis of the cerebrospinal fluid due to the presence of polymorphonuclear leucocytes. However, 75 cases of bacterial meningitis without pleocytosis have been published. Normocellular bacterial meningitis accounts for 3.5% (1-42%) of all patients suffering from bacterial meningitis and is seen in all age groups: The finding can be explained by three different mechanisms including 1) lumbar puncture performed early in the course of meningitis, 2) immune deficiency, and 3) relative leucopenia due to severe sepsis. Normocellular bacterial meningitis is in general associated with a good prognosis except for cases with severe underlying diseases. A high concentration of bacteria in a normocellular cerebrospinal fluid might also indicate a poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Herning Centralsygehus, medicinsk afdeling.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lindberg
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D011379:Prognosis
vernacular_title: Normocellulaer bakteriel meningitis.