Artigo submetido em 25.06.02, aceito em 11.09.02. ResumoObjetivo: analisar o perfil etiológico e alguns aspectos epidemiológicos das crianças com meningite bacteriana, internadas em um hospital público universitário.Métodos: foram seguidas, prospectivamente, as crianças internadas com meningite bacteriana, diagnosticada segundo os critérios clínicos e laboratoriais habituais. Foram excluídos os casos de meningite pós-trauma, de meningite na vigência de derivação liquó-rica, ou de defeitos congênitos do tubo neural, e de meningite tuberculosa.Resultados Results: from a total of 415 children with bacterial meningitis, the etiologic agent was detected in 315 (75.9%): Haemophilus influenzae b in 54.2%, meningococci in 20.6%, pneumococci in 18.1% and other agents, in 6.9%. Previous antibiotic treatment, observed in 47.2% of the cases, led to a significant decrease in positive blood cultures (from 50.8% to 38.7%) and in cerebrospinal fluid cultures (from 71.7% to 57.6%). Among children younger than 48 months Haemophilus influenzae b was predominant, particularly when compared to meningococci. The overall mortality was 10.1%, with a significant difference between the rates of pneumococcal (17.5%) and meningococcal meningitis (4.6%).Conclusions: children affected by Haemophilus influenzae b and by pneumococci were younger than those with meningitis caused by meningococci. The blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture remains an important laboratory tool for etiologic diagnosis, despite the negative impact caused by antibiotic previous treatment. The agents most commonly detected were Haemophilus influenzae b, meningococci and pneumococci. Bacterial meningitis continues to present an important mortality among children, particularly when caused by pneumococci.

Artigo submetido em 25.06.02, aceito em 11.09.02. ResumoObjetivo: analisar o perfil etiológico e alguns aspectos epidemiológicos das crianças com meningite bacteriana, internadas em um hospital público universitário.Métodos: foram seguidas, prospectivamente, as crianças internadas com meningite bacteriana, diagnosticada segundo os critérios clínicos e laboratoriais habituais. Foram excluídos os casos de meningite pós-trauma, de meningite na vigência de derivação liquó-rica, ou de defeitos congênitos do tubo neural, e de meningite tuberculosa.Resultados Results: from a total of 415 children with bacterial meningitis, the etiologic agent was detected in 315 (75.9%): Haemophilus influenzae b in 54.2%, meningococci in 20.6%, pneumococci in 18.1% and other agents, in 6.9%. Previous antibiotic treatment, observed in 47.2% of the cases, led to a significant decrease in positive blood cultures (from 50.8% to 38.7%) and in cerebrospinal fluid cultures (from 71.7% to 57.6%). Among children younger than 48 months Haemophilus influenzae b was predominant, particularly when compared to meningococci. The overall mortality was 10.1%, with a significant difference between the rates of pneumococcal (17.5%) and meningococcal meningitis (4.6%).Conclusions: children affected by Haemophilus influenzae b and by pneumococci were younger than those with meningitis caused by meningococci. The blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture remains an important laboratory tool for etiologic diagnosis, despite the negative impact caused by antibiotic previous treatment. The agents most commonly detected were Haemophilus influenzae b, meningococci and pneumococci. Bacterial meningitis continues to present an important mortality among children, particularly when caused by pneumococci.