Bacterial meningitis in children under 15 years of age in Nepal.
BACKGROUND
Bacterial meningitis in children is a life-threatening problem resulting in severe morbidity and mortality. For the prompt initiation of antibacterial therapy, rapid and reliable diagnostic methods are of utmost importance. Therefore, this study was designed to find out the rate of bacterial pathogens of meningitis from suspected cases by performing conventional methods and latex agglutination.


METHODS
A descriptive type of study was carried out from May 2012 to April 2013. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 252 suspected cases of meningitis were subjected for Gram staining, bacterial culture and latex agglutination test. The identification of growth of bacteria was done following standard microbiological methods recommended by American Society for Microbiology. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was done by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.


RESULTS
From the total 252 suspected cases, 7.2 % bacterial meningitis was revealed by Gram staining and culture methods whereas latex agglutination method detected 5.6 %. Gram-negative organisms contributed the majority of the cases (72.2 %) with Haemophilus influenzae as the leading pathogen for meningitis. Overall, 33.3 % mortality rate was found.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, a significant rate of bacterial meningitis was found in this study prompting concern for national wide surveillance.
Public Health Research Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. rajani_ghaju12@hotmail.com.
Rajani Ghaju
RG
Shrestha
Public Health Research Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. sar1234tan@gmail.com.
Sarmila
S
Tandukar
Department of Microbiology, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal. shamshulansari483@yahoo.com.
Shamshul
S
Ansari
Kantipur College of Medical Science, Sitapaila, Kathmandu, Nepal. muskan4291@gmail.com.
Akriti
A
Subedi
Public Health Research Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. anishashrestha@gmail.com.
Anisha
A
Shrestha
Central Department of Microbiology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. rekhapoudel08@gmail.com.
Rekha
R
Poudel
Kantipur College of Medical Science, Sitapaila, Kathmandu, Nepal. adhikarinaba13@yahoo.com.
Nabaraj
N
Adhikari
Kantipur College of Medical Science, Sitapaila, Kathmandu, Nepal. shitalrajbasnet@yahoo.com.
Shital Raj
SR
Basnyat
Public Health Research Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. jivansherchand@yahoo.com.
Jeevan Bahadur
JB
Sherchand
D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005840:Gentian Violet; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D010619:Phenazines; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C035863:Gram's stain; D010619:Phenazines; D005840:Gentian Violet