title: [Clinical and laboratory aspects of acute bacterial meningitis in infants].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to describe clinical and laboratorial characteristics of acute bacterial meningitis in infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  data from the prospective follow-up of infants with acute bacterial meningitis, admitted at the Hospital Couto Maia between March and December 1997, were analyzed with specific statistical software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  acute bacterial meningitis was more prevalent in infants with ages varying from 6 months to 1 year. The most frequent etiologic agent was Haemophilus influenzae. The global lethality was 25.9% and among the survivors 39.3% left the hospital with some abnormality in the neurological exam compatible with the brain involvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  acute bacterial meningitis in infants is a high lethality disease that in the majority of cases can be prevented. We consider of great relevance the adoption of health prevention strategies in order to reduce the incidence of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Neurologia e Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucena
authors.forename: Irenio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Julieta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goes
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Murilo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Marco Antônio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Novaes
authors.forename: Ailton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melo
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies
vernacular_title: Aspectos clínicos e laboratoriais de meningite piogênica em lactentes.