Effect of Antibiotic Pretreatment in Children with Meningitis

Antibiotic treatment before lumbar puncture reduces the likelihood of a positive blood culture.

Many children with bacterial meningitis receive antibiotics before undergoing diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP), but the effect of antibiotic pretreatment on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) indices and culture results remains controversial. Investigators reviewed medical records of all children diagnosed with bacterial meningitis (age range, 30 days to 18 years) at 20 emergency departments between 2001 and 2004.

Of 245 children, 85 (35%) had received antibiotics within 72 hours before undergoing diagnostic LP. Compared with children who were not pretreated, those who were pretreated were as likely to have positive CSF Gram-stain results (63% vs. 62%) but significantly less likely to have positive blood cultures (66% vs. 48%) or positive CSF cultures…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Effect of Antibiotic Pretreatment in Children with Meningitis

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Reviewing Author