The causative microorganisms were cultured and recovered from cerebrospinal fluid in 105 of 161 children with bacterial meningitis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from July 1982 through June 1985. The bacteria grown included Hemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in 44 patients, Streptococcus pneumoniae in 25 patients, and Neisseria meningitidis in 12 patients. These amounted to about 80% of all proved cases of childhood bacterial meningitis. In 56 of the 161 children, causative pathogens were not identified. However, the clinical presentation, signs, and CSF findings were compatible with the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Comparison of the age-specific occurrence of various causes of meningitis was made. Hib infection occurred primarily during infancy, although these organisms were not recovered from infants as young as 1 to 2 months of age. Fourteen percent of Hib strains were resistant to ampicillin.A Abomelha, SA Uduman, MF Saleh, S Al-Rajeh, MS Sibai, A Al-Agib, Childhood Bacterial Meningitis. 1988; 8(4): 274-278 MeSH KEYWORDS: Meningitis, bacterial-in infancy and childhood BACTERIAL MENINGITIS in children can lead to considerable mortality rates or to neurologic deficits, such as impaired motor and intellectual development, hearing and vision loss, seizures, and language disorders. 12 The outcome of bacterial meningitis in each child depends on various factors; these include the patient's age, the specific microbiologic agents, the duration of the illness before initiation of treatment, and any other underlying medical disorder. The physician caring for the child should be aware of the organisms prevalent in the vicinity and their antimicrobial sensitivity in order to initiate prompt and appropriate antibiotic therapy.The purpose of this study was to establish the cause of various types of bacterial meningitis occurring among children in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The clinical features of childhood meningitis and their age specificity and initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings were reviewed. Attention was also focused on the specific causes of bacterial meningitis in infants 1 to 2 months of age.