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Published on: November 5, 2019

A prospective study of etiology of childhood acute bacterial meningitis, Turkey

Mehmet Ceyhan1, Inci Yildirim, Paul Balmer

  • 1Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|July 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Bacterial meningitis in Turkish children is often caused by Neisseria meningitidis, particularly serogroup W-135. Vaccines must protect against this emerging threat to guide effective vaccination policies.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Bacterial meningitis etiology is crucial for vaccination policy development.
  • Understanding meningitis causes in children informs public health strategies.
  • Previous data on meningitis etiology in Turkey was limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence and etiology of bacterial meningitis in Turkish children.
  • To identify the prevalence of key bacterial pathogens: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Neisseria meningitidis.
  • To guide vaccination policies by understanding the etiological landscape.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from children (1 month-17 years) with acute bacterial meningitis.
  • Utilized multiplex PCR to detect DNA of S. pneumoniae, Hib, and N. meningitidis.
  • Analyzed 408 CSF samples to determine bacterial etiology.

Main Results:

  • Bacterial etiology was identified in 243 out of 408 cases.
  • Neisseria meningitidis was the most common cause (56.5%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (22.5%) and Hib (20.5%).
  • Among N. meningitidis isolates, serogroup W-135 was predominant (42.7%), indicating its emergence.

Conclusions:

  • Neisseria meningitidis, especially serogroup W-135, is a significant cause of bacterial meningitis in Turkish children.
  • The emergence of N. meningitidis serogroup W-135 necessitates updated vaccination strategies.
  • Current vaccines should offer reliable protection against meningococcal serogroup W-135 in Turkey.

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