Mollaret's meningitis associated with cerebrospinal fluid leak

Mollaret's meningitis or the benign recurrent meningitis syndrome is a rare disorder not previously described in Africa. The syndrome has a characteristic clinical presentation with spinal fluid pleocytosis, often with unusual 'epithelial' cells. With contemporary techniques no causative organism has been incriminated. The aetiology remains speculative, but we report on a patient found to have a cerebrospinal fluid leak, which may represent a factor in the pathogenesis of this disorder.