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Published on: January 22, 2021

Flucloxacillin treatment of Staphylococcus aureus meningitis

S R Ritchie1, P Rupali, S A Roberts

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease, Level 6 Support Building, Auckland City Hospital, Park Road, Grafton, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand. sritchie@adhb.govt.nz

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases : Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
|June 8, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Flucloxacillin effectively treats meningitis caused by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. This antibiotic achieved high cure rates and sterile cerebrospinal fluid cultures in patients with bacterial meningitis.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Meningitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus requires effective antibiotic treatment.
  • Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains necessitate evaluation of specific antibiotic therapies.
  • Assessing treatment outcomes for both community-acquired and neurosurgical meningitis is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of flucloxacillin in treating meningitis caused by MSSA.
  • To compare cure rates and microbiological clearance with flucloxacillin monotherapy versus combination therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 33 patients diagnosed with S. aureus meningitis.
  • Treatment efficacy assessed by cure rates, relapse, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture status.
  • Comparison of outcomes between patients receiving flucloxacillin alone and those receiving additional antibiotics.

Main Results:

  • Flucloxacillin demonstrated an 86% cure rate (95% CI 65-97%) in 22 treated patients, with sterile CSF cultures in a median of 3 days.
  • No significant difference in cure rates was observed between flucloxacillin monotherapy (90%) and combination therapy (75%).
  • Six of eight patients with community-acquired meningitis were cured.

Conclusions:

  • Flucloxacillin is an effective therapeutic agent for S. aureus meningitis.
  • The data support the use of flucloxacillin as a primary treatment for MSSA meningitis.
  • Further research may explore optimal treatment durations and specific patient subgroups.

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