Epidemiological, Cytochemical and Bacteriological Profile of Meningitis among Adults and Children in North West of Morocco

Amr Loutfi, Mohamed EL Hioui, Samira Jayche, Lacheheb Mohammed, Alaoui Asmaa, Abdesslam Lhou, Badreddine dahou and Ahmed Omar Touhami Ahami

Background and Objective: Meningitis is a medical and public health problem in Morocco, particularly in the North West region. The purpose of present study was to identify the pathogen in pyogenic meningitis and to determine its antibiotic susceptibility pattern Materials and Methods: A total of 247 cases were included in the diagnosis of meningitis on the basis of clinical findings and positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Results: The study included 247 cases with a mean cumulative incidence of 4.53 (100,000 Hts) meningitis in all forms during the study period. The sex ratio M/F was 1.71. Maximum numbers of cases were<15 year of age, 139 (56.3%). Bacterial meningeal syndrome was observed in 67.2% of cases. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was cloudy in 57.1% of cases. The average number of GBs was 1074.12 (±2115.63) elements mm^–3. Mean glycorrhachia was 0.48 g L^–1 (±0.28) and mean protein levels were 1.5 g L^–1 (±1.68). The common pathogens identified on CSF culture were coagulase, negative Neisseria meningitidis in 30 (13%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae 6 (2.5%). Overall mortality was 14.9%. Conclusion: Hence, Meningitis is a real health problem in the province of Kenitra, affecting especially children. Effective involvement of all health personnel and the community fight this epidemic disease.

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