Bacterial Meningitis Among Adult Patients at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Referral Hospital

BACKGROUND: Bacterial meningitis is a bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. The most frequent causes of bacterial meningitis are Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Listeria monocytogenes, and Haemophilus influenzae. This study aimed to determine bacterial meningitis and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns among adult patients. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on records of 3,683 patients to determine bacterial meningitis and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns from 2011 to 2020. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were collected, inoculated on blood and chocolate agar plates, and then incubated at 37°c for 24 hours. Bacterial identification performed using morphological characters, Gram stain, and biochemical tests. And then antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using modified Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion technique. Records of 3,683 culture results were collected and reviewed using a checklist from the registration book. Finally, data was entered, cleared, and checked using Epi-info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. RESULTS: Of the 3,683 patients, the overall prevalence of culture-positive bacterial meningitis was 1.28% (47/3683). Of them, bacterial meningitis in males was 1.61% (33/2052). Streptococcus pneumoniae (32%, 15/47) was the commonest isolate followed by Staphylococcus aureus, (12.80%, 6/47), Escherichia coli, (12.80%, 6/47), and Neisseria meningitidis, (10.60%, 5/47). Out of 47 culture-positive isolates, 15 of them were MDR isolates. Ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, clindamycin, and erythromycin were the most effective antibiotics whereas penicillin, tetracycline, and cotrimoxazole were the least effective antibiotics for isolates. Gender (P = 0.047, AOR = 0.528, CI = 0.282–0.99) is significantly associated with bacterial meningitis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of bacterial meningitis among adult patients was 1.28%. Males are at high risk for bacterial meningitis compared to females. Therefore, infection preventive measures are required with a particular focus on adult patients. Further research is needed to explore the epidemiology and risk factors of bacterial meningitis.