Epidemiology and outcomes of bacterial meningitis in the neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

Examine pathogen distribution, antibiotic resistance patterns, and hospital outcomes of infants with bacterial meningitis in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the US from 2013-2018.

STUDY DESIGN

Infants were divided into 2 groups based on age at the time of meningitis: early-onset (0-3 days) and late-onset (>3 days). We compared demographics, clinical characteristics, epidemiology, hospital outcomes, distribution of organisms and resistance, and blood culture timing relative to cerebrospinal fluid culture.

RESULTS

From 345 NICUs, 659 infants were diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. The cumulative incidence was 1.1-1.3 cases/1000 NICU discharges. Median gestational age was 33 weeks, median birth weight was 1910 grams, 12% failed hearing screening, and 9% died prior to discharge. Of 141 cases of E. coli meningitis, 53% were resistant to ampicillin.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant morbidities occur in infants with culture-proven meningitis in NICUs. Culture and subsequent discernment of sensitivity are crucial to guide definitive therapy.