[Bacterial meningitis in a pediatric hospital in a tropical zone]

Purulent bacterial meningitides are a very important pediatric problem in tropical areas. From February 1983 to February 1988, 409 cerebrospinal fluid samples from children with purulent meningitides, aged under 15 years, admitted to the Pediatric Hospital Albert Royer, Dakar, were examined for the presence of bacterial agents. In 222 (54.2%) samples, one bacterial agent or soluble antigens were detected. Among these, 3 bacterial agents were most frequently identified: 94 (42.3%) Haemophilus influenzae, 71 (31.9%) Streptococcus pneumoniae and 25 (11.2%) Neisseria meningitidis. The increase in bacterial meningitides observed during cool and dry seasons was essentially due to Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The bacterial strains were found to be susceptible to antibiotics usually administered. However, almost 22% of Haemophilus influenzae strains were resistant to ampicillin or chloramphenicol. A high mortality (33%) was observed, especially with Streptococcus pneumoniae. The purulent bacterial meningitides are a most important pediatric problem in tropical areas.