title: Frequency of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in patients with suspected meningitis in Imam Reza Hospital of Kermanshah in the west of Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main causative agent of acute bacterial meningitis in the world. This study aimed to detect pneumoniae infection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients with suspected meningitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 200 CSF samples in patients with suspected meningitis and with negative bacterial cultures were tested. Demographic data of patients and the laboratory analysis of CSF samples were also collected in a questionnaire. Pneumococcal capsular gene spn9802 was examined by real-time PCR technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 200 CSF samples from patients with the average age of 32.1±25.3 year old, 20 were positive for S. pneumoniae in patients with the average age of 35.05±24.6. The biochemical and cytological analysis of positive samples showed significant changes, including, 39.7 mg/DL protein, 46.2 mg/DL glucose and 1173 white blood cells per microliter of CSF on average.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study showed the significant pneumococcal infection in culture negative CSF samples. The majority of this infection occurred in middle-aged patients and with a higher incidence rate in the winter. It seems that the traditional methods of cultivation are not sensitive enough to detect this bacterium in CSF. Alternatively, the molecular techniques such a real-time seem to be accurate, sensitive and rapid for the detection of this agent in CSF. The cytological and biochemical findings of CSF can provide valuable clues in the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Kamal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: Nosocomial Infection Research Centre, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Alisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akya
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. ; Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Bizhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Numanpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsaneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Asad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veisi-Raigani
keywords: Culture-negative meningitis; Streptococcus pneumoniae; real-time PCR