Bacterial meningitis: a review of effective pharmacotherapy

Abstract

Acute bacterial meningitis is a serious and life-threatening neurological infectious disease. Despite the availability of effective antibiotics, supportive care facilities and recent advances in adjunctive strategies, for example, adjunctive dexamethasone, mortality and morbidity rates associated with bacterial meningitis remain unacceptably high. The review presents a brief overview of key clinical and epidemiological aspects of the disease and focuses on advances in pharmacotherapeutic strategies in adult patients with bacterial meningitis in the developed world.

Keywords::

• antimicrobial therapy
• bacterial meningitis
• dexamethasone
• Neisseria meningitidis
• Streptococcus pneumoniae

Acknowledgments

None of the authors has any conflicts of interest. D van de Beek is supported by personal grants of the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) [NWO-Veni grant 2006 (916.76.023), NWO-Rubicon grant 2006 (019.2006.1.310.001)], and the Dr Jan Meerwaldt Foundation.

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