A bacteriological study of purulent meningitis in children.

There was an increase in incidence of meningitis in children within the last three years at the Bai Yamunabai Laxman Rao Nair Charitable Hospital in Bombay. Out of 270 purulent samples, 60 (22.22 percent) were culture positive. Neisseria meningitidis showed an increase from one case in 1985 to 11 cases by the end of 1987. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 6 percent cases, Streptococcus pneumoniae 15 percent, and Gram negative bacilli were predominant, isolation rate being 57 percent. Salmonella species were isolated from 6 (10 percent) cases. They were multidrug resistant type, some belonging to the rare zoonotic species.