Open AccessEtiologyand occurrence of acute bacterial meningitis in children in Benghazi Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Author(s) -
Bandaru Narasinga Rao,
I. M. Kashbur,
Nuri M. Shembesh,
Suliman Mohamed El Bargathy
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/1998.4.1.50
Subject(s) - cefotaxime , ampicillin , medicine , neisseria meningitidis , meningitis , streptococcus pneumoniae , gentamicin , microbiology and biotechnology , ceftriaxone , antibiotics , haemophilus influenzae , tetracycline , klebsiella pneumoniae , pediatrics , biology , bacteria , escherichia coli , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Over a 14-month period, 77 children with a presumptive diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis were investigated. The incidence of acute bacterial meningitis was 0.8%, with a case fatality rate of 13.0%. Children pound 1 year of age were more affected [64.9%]. The total male to female ratio was 1.2:1. Gram stain detected more cases [85.7%] than culture [66.2%]. A total of 48 isolates were identified by culture and their antibiotic sensitivity was determined. Haemophilus influenzae [33.8%] was the predominant organism identified, followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae [26.0%], Klebsiella spp. [6.5%] and Neisseria meningitidis [2.6%]. Many of the bacterial isolates were sensitive to gentamicin, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone and least sensitive to tetracycline and ampicillin