Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (2000) 46, 653-655
© 2000 The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Leading article |
Antibiotics for Salmonella meningitis in children
a Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London E1 1BB; b Copsewood, Clonmel Close, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex HA2 0JZ; c Department of Medical Microbiology, Medway Maritime Hospital, Windmill Road, Gillingham, Kent ME4 5NY, UK
Although Salmonella strains only account for 1% or less of the confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis in neonates and infants,1,2 such infections are often associated with a high complication rate, a high mortality rate and a greater potential for relapse than occurs with meningitis caused by the more common Gram-negative pathogen, Escherichia coli.3 The possibility of Salmonella infection should be kept in mind whenever Gram-negative rods are seen in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). If Salmonella spp. are grown from a site outside the central nervous system (CNS) in any unwell child, especially one under 6 months of age, consideration should be given to performance of a lumbar puncture. A pregnant woman who develops Salmonella infection or is an intestinal carrier of salmonellae may pose a risk to her baby of invasive meningitis. There is also an important association between keeping reptiles as pets and
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