[Suppurative meningitis in the newborn infant: experience with 107 cases in the Ivory Coast].

A retrospective study of 107 neonates with meningitis showed that in 45% of cases the condition occurred during the first 48 hours after birth, probably following a materno-foetal infection. Male neonates accounted for 70% of the cases. In 15% of cases, the mothers previously had a known infectious disease and 55% of cases came from an unfavourable socio-economic environment. Over 50% of the infants had to be resuscitated at birth. The majority of organisms isolated were Gram-negative bacteria or Enterobacteriaceae; the commonest organism was Haemophilus influenzae. The most effective specific treatment (91% favourable results) was intravenous amoxycillin plus intramuscular gentamicin. It is recommended that the newborn infant of parents living in unfavourable socio-economic circumstances should receive careful follow-up during the first week after birth so that the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis can be made at the start of infection. The neonate should receive effective prophylactic antibiotic cover if resuscitated, if the mother has suffered from an infectious disease during pregnancy or if premature rupture of the membranes has occurred.