title: The diagnosis and treatment of meningitis.
abstract: Treatment of meningitis is no longer a question of the administration of antimeningococcal serum and awaiting results. Today there is at hand an ever expanding armamentarium of drugs effective on various bacteria, rickettsia and some of the larger viruses. The skillful use of these singly or in combination offers an excellent prognosis in most forms of bacterial meningitis. Tuberculous meningitis continues to present a poor outlook, but this has been improved with more intensive therapy. More effective agents are needed in the treatment of this disease."Shotgun" therapy may be indicated in critically ill patients prior to accurate bacteriological diagnosis; it is more important that therapy should include an effective agent or combination of agents than to attempt to determine in advance the most potent form of specific therapy. Partially treated purulent meningitis may be confused with aseptic meningitis. There is at present no effective therapeutic agent for the viral meningitides, but the prognosis is favorable in most of these diseases without specific therapy.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: KERR
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: SHAW
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria; D006801:Humans; D008581:Meningitis; D008582:Meningitis, Aseptic; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial; D008587:Meningitis, Viral; D011379:Prognosis