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Bacteriological study of meningococcal meningitis
P J Vadher1, N S Vaidya, P Soni
1Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Hospital for Infectitous Diseases, Bombay, Maharashtra.
Abstract:
One hundred and thirty samples of cerebro spinal fluid were collected from patients admitted with suspected signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis (M. meningitis) during the period from January 1986 to April 1989 and were processed for gram's staining, cultivation and latex agglutination tests for detection of polysaccharide antigen in the CSF. Totally 41.5% of turbid and hazy spinal fluid were positive for N. meningitidis by smear examination. Only 24.6% were positive by culture but 61.5% of sample were positive by latex agglutination tests. All the strains were sensitive to all antibiotics except one strain which was resistant to penicillin but it was sensitive to rifampicin.
Insights
Latex agglutination tests are highly effective for detecting Neisseria meningitidis (M. meningitis) in cerebrospinal fluid, identifying more positive cases than Gram staining or culture. All identified strains were sensitive to common antibiotics, with one exception noted for penicillin.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Meningococcal meningitis (M. meningitis) poses a significant public health threat.
- Accurate and rapid diagnostic methods are crucial for timely treatment and control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic performance of Gram staining, cultivation, and latex agglutination tests for M. meningitis detection.
- To assess the antibiotic susceptibility of N. meningitidis strains isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Main Methods:
- Collected 130 CSF samples from patients with suspected meningococcal meningitis.
- Performed Gram staining, bacterial culture, and latex agglutination tests for N. meningitidis detection.
- Tested antibiotic susceptibility of isolated N. meningitidis strains.
Main Results:
- Latex agglutination tests detected N. meningitidis in 61.5% of samples, significantly higher than Gram staining (41.5%) or culture (24.6%).
- All tested N. meningitidis strains showed sensitivity to most antibiotics.
- One strain exhibited resistance to penicillin but remained sensitive to rifampicin.
Conclusions:
- Latex agglutination is a sensitive method for diagnosing meningococcal meningitis.
- N. meningitidis isolates were generally susceptible to antibiotics, indicating effective treatment options are available.
- Monitoring antibiotic resistance is essential for guiding therapeutic strategies.