Clinical commentaryEpidemiologic trend of adult bacterial meningitis in southern Taiwan (2006-2015)

- The clinical data of 157 adult bacterial meningitis (ABM) cases were analyzed.
- The results were compared with our previous consecutive studies of ABM epidemiology.
- A change of epidemiologic trend of ABM in recent 10 years was noted.
- The overall mortality rate of ABM had decreased.

The purpose of this study is to analyze recent epidemiologic trend of adult bacterial meningitis (ABM) in Taiwan. The clinical features, laboratory data and therapeutic outcomes of 157 patients with ABM from 2006-2015 were analyzed. The results were compared with those of our previous two epidemiologic studies of ABM (1st study: 202 cases, January 1986-June 1999; 2nd study: 181 cases, July 1999-December 2005). Of the 157 patients with ABM, 96 were men and 61 women, and 68.2% (107/157) of them had a postneurosurgical state as the underlying condition. Monomicrobial infections and mixed infections were found in 92.4% (145/157) and 7.6% (12/145) of the cases, respectively. Of the implicated pathogens of monomicrobial infections, staphylococcal species were the most common, accounting for 27.6% (40/145) of them and Klebsiella species were the second common accounting for 13.8% (20/145) of them. The other common Gram-negative pathogens were Pseudomonas species and Acinetobacter species, accounting for 10.3% (15/145) and 7.6% (11/145), respectively. The overall mortality rate was 25.5% (40/157), and septic shock and liver cirrhosis were significant prognostic factors. This study revealed a change in the epidemiologic trend of ABM and the study results may offer important information for clinicians managing patients with ABM.