NEONATAL BACTERIAL-MENINGITIS IN THE MIDDLE BELT OF NIGERIA

A three-year prospective study of neonatal meningitis in a tertiary ho spital in Nigeria was carried out to determine its clinical spectrum a nd particular characteristics. The 36 infants studied represented a hi gh incidence of 1.9 per 1000 live births, and the infection was signif icantly higher among low-birthweight babies. Non-specific signs and sy mptoms were common, and temperature instability was a constant finding . Specific neurological manifestations were noted that differed from o ther reports in the literature and contributed significantly to outcom e. The most common aetiological pathogen isolated was Gram-positive St aphylococcus aureus and the most common Gram-negative organisms were K lebsiella spp: there was no case of group B streptococci. The pathogen s isolated were also at variance with other reports. The mortality rat e was 33 per cent and was higher for females. There was no significant difference in outcome between inborn and referred infants, nor betwee n early onset and late onset of the disease. A bulging anterior fontan elle was a significant indicator of poor prognosis. Gentamicin and cef tazidime were the most appropriate antibiotics.