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Practice patterns of infectious disease physicians for management of meningococcal disease

Andrew Terranella1, Susan E Beekmann, Philip M Polgreen

  • 1Epidemic Intelligence Service, Scientific, Education, and Professional Development Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|June 19, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Infectious disease specialists show varied practices in managing meningococcal disease, with inconsistent antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria meningitidis. These differences are important for developing future treatment guidelines.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Clinical Practice

Background:

  • Management of meningococcal disease presents uncertainties despite established bacterial meningitis treatments.
  • Practices and antimicrobial susceptibility testing availability for Neisseria meningitidis were assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate current practice patterns and opinions among infectious disease specialists regarding meningococcal disease.
  • To determine the availability of antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria meningitidis.

Main Methods:

  • An online survey was distributed to 1342 pediatric and adult infectious disease specialists.
  • The survey covered diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria meningitidis.

Main Results:

  • A 48% response rate (650 specialists) was achieved.
  • Significant variations were observed in treatment choices (e.g., penicillin use), species confirmation for therapy adjustment, susceptibility testing availability (over one-third reported it's not routine), complement deficiency screening, and chemoprophylaxis practices.
  • Pediatric specialists were more likely to use penicillin than adult specialists.

Conclusions:

  • Infectious disease specialists exhibit considerable variation in managing meningococcal disease.
  • Routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria meningitidis is lacking in many clinical settings.
  • Acknowledging these practice variations is crucial for refining treatment and prevention recommendations.

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