Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Adults

Background Acute bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, which results from bacterially mediated recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Bacterial meningitis was an almost invariably fatal disease at the start of the 20th century. With the development of and advancements in antimicrobial therapy, however, there has been a significant reduction in the mortality rate, although this has remained stable during the past 20 years (1). One large study of adults with community-acquired bacterial meningitis reported an overall mortality rate of 21%, including a 30% mortality rate associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis and a 7% mortality rate for Neisseria meningitidis (2). In adults, the most commonly identified organisms are S. pneumoniae (40–50%), Neisseria meningitidis (14–37%), and Listeria monocytogenes (4–10%) (2-4).

Clinical Presentation

Bacterial meningitis is a serious illness that often progresses rapidly. The classic clinical presentation consists of fever, nuchal rigidity, and mental status change (3). One large review of 10 critically appraised studies showed that almost all (99–100%) of the patients with bacterial meningitis presented with at least one of these clinical findings; and 95% of the patients had at least 2 of the clinical findings (5). In contrast, less than half of the patients presented with all 3 findings. Thus, in the absence of all 3 of these classic findings, the diagnosis of meningitis can virtually be dismissed, and further evaluation for meningitis need not be pursued. Individually, fever was the most common presenting finding, with a sensitivity of 85%. Nuchal rigidity had a sensitivity of 70%, and mental status change was 67%. While these physical examination findings may be of value in determining the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis, the accuracy of the clinical history including features such as headache, nausea and vomiting, and neck pain was too low to be of use clinically.

Signs of meningeal irritation may be of benefit in the clinical diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Kernig’s and Brudzinski’s signs were first described nearly a century ago and have been used by most clinicians in the clinical realm; however, their diagnostic utility has been evaluated only in a limited number of studies. Kernig’s sign is positive when a patient in the supine position with his/her hips flexed at 90 degrees develops pain in the lower back or posterior thigh during an attempt to extend the knee. Brudzinski’s sign is positive when a patient in the supine position whose neck is passively flexed responds with flexion of his/her knees and hips. Recently, a bedside maneuver called jolt accentuation of headache was found to be potentially useful. In this maneuver, the patient is asked to turn his/her head horizontally 2–3 times per second, and a worsening headache is considered a positive sign. A small study showed that this maneuver had 97% sensitivity and 60% specificity for patients with CSF pleocytosis (6).

Other clinical manifestations in patients with bacterial meningitis include photophobia, seizure, rash, focal neurologic deficits, and signs of increased intracranial pressure. While these various findings may be present in many patients with bacterial meningitis, their sensitivities have been found to be low. Thus, their clinical utility in ruling out the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis is limited (5).

Laboratory Findings

Any patient who presents with a reasonable likelihood of having bacterial meningitis should undergo a lumbar puncture (LP) to evaluate the CSF as soon as possible. The initial CSF study should measure the opening pressure. One study demonstrated that 39% of patients with bacterial meningitis had opening pressures greater than 300 mg H₂0 (3). Other CSF laboratory studies should be sent for analysis in 4 sterile tubes filled with approximately 1 mL of CSF each. The first tube is typically reserved for gram stain and culture. The gram stain is positive in about 70% of patients with bacterial meningitis, and the culture will be positive in about 80% of cases. The second tube is sent for protein and glucose levels. Patients who have markedly elevated CSF protein counts (>500 mg/dL) and low glucose levels (<45 mg/dL, or ratio of serum: CSF glucose levels <0.4) are likely to have bacterial meningitis. The third tube is sent for cell count and differential. Patients with bacterial meningitis are likely to have >10 WBC/μL that are predominantly polymorphonucleocytes and have few or no red blood cells in the absence of a traumatic LP. We recommend the fourth tube be used for any viral, fungal, or other miscellaneous studies. In addition to the CSF studies, other diagnostic evaluations should include blood cultures, complete blood count with platelets and differential (CBCPD), and basic chemistry labs.