[Bacterial concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid in childhood meningitis].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological evolution of causal germs in meningitis in children aged 1 day to 15 years and determine the relationship between pretreatment concentrations of bacteria in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), patient age, bacterial species and bacteriological eradication.


METHODS
A quantitative analysis of germs was performed in 212 children with bacterial meningitis (mean age 19.8 months).


RESULTS
Bacterial counts ranged from 2.10(1) to 4.10(9) CFU/ml in CSF. Among the 212 patients, 52 (24.5%) had counts 10(7)/ml. Infants had significantly higher counts than the other age groups. Mean counts for Hoemophilus influenzoe serotype B were not different from those for Streptococcus pneumoniae but were significantly higher than for Neisseria meningitidis. Compared with initial germ counts, 98.5% of the CSF specimens were sterile at 24 and 48 hours and 100% at 72 hours.


CONCLUSIONS
Germ counts were higher in infants.
Mariani-Kurkdjian
P
P
Service de Microbiologie, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris.
Doit
C
C
Le Thomas
I
I
Aujard
Y
Y
Bourrillon
A
A
Bingen
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification
Concentrations bactériennes dans le liquide céphalo-rachidien au cours des méningites de l'enfant.