Concomitant bacterial meningitis and urinary tract infection in infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Febrile infants often undergo septic workups, with urinary tract infection (UTI) being the most common serious bacterial infection. However, lumbar puncture practices vary, and the rate of concurrent meningitis remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the rate of concomitant bacterial meningitis in febrile infants with UTI.

MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and conference proceedings from inception to August 2023 were searched. Included studies involved febrile infants ≤90 days old with UTI and no clear infection source, where ≥10 infants underwent lumbar puncture. Studies with localising symptoms of another diagnosis or premature infants were excluded. Studies were independently reviewed and data were extracted. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models with heterogeneity tests. Study quality was assessed via the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Thirty-nine observational studies met the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of concomitant definite bacterial meningitis in febrile infants with UTI was 0.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1%-0.4%). Between-studies comparison suggested this rate may be higher in neonates (≤28 days) than older infants (29-90 days old) (pooled estimate 0.7%, 95% CI 0.3%-1.1% vs. 0.2%, 0.0%-0.3%), while within-studies comparison showed no risk difference between the two groups. No association between bacterial meningitis and bacteraemia in infants with febrile UTI was observed.

In clinically well febrile infants without symptoms or signs suggesting meningitis, a screening urine sample should be recommended instead of a routine full septic workup.