ENT RELATED ADULT BACTERIAL-MENINGITIS IN COTE-DIVOIRE

From January to December 1995, 35 cases of bacterial meningitis second ary to an ENT infection were recorded in the Infectious diseases ward, in Abidjan. The sex ratio was 1.05 and the mean age was 30 (range 16- 68) years of age. The infection site was paranasal sinuses (60 %), ear s (34 %), or both (6 %). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most frequen t pathogen identified form the cerebrospinal fluid (83 %). The patient s were treated by antibiotics and sinus lavage (15 cases) and with a d rain left in situ (3 cases), 1 patient underwent ENT surgery and 3 pat ients underwent neurosurgery. The rate of mortality, the rate of compl ications and neuro-psychiatric sequelae respectively reached 23 % and 28.5 %.