title: Adults with spontaneous aerobic Gram-negative bacillary meningitis admitted to the intensive care unit.
abstract: The characteristics of spontaneous aerobic Gram-negative bacillary meningitis (AGNBM) were determined in 40 adults requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) during a 16-year period in ten French ICUs. Eight infections were hospital-acquired and most patients had predisposing factors, mainly chronic alcoholism and an immunocompromised status. Three immunosuppressed patients had disseminated strongyloidiasis. Gram's stain, cerebrospinal fluid and blood cultures were positive for 85%, 98% and 80% of cases, respectively. Escherichia coli (57%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (17%) were the most frequent pathogens. In-ICU mortality was 38%. Spontaneous AGNBM is a rare complication of bacteraemia in adults. The severity of predisposing underlying diseases might explain the poor prognosis despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
authors.affiliation: Service de Réanimation Médicale et des Maladies Infectieuses, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard, Paris. lila.bouadma@bch.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bouadma
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schortgen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wutke
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lellouche
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Régnier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000332:Aerobiosis; D000437:Alcoholism; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000150:complications; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D009026:Mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000150:complications