Epidemiology of Meningitis Studied at a University Hospital in Zahedan

Results: Among the 53 patients with meningitis (47% females; 53% males with mean age 36 years) 47 cases (83%) had acute meningitis and six cases (17%) had chronic meningitis (four cases of tuberculosis and two cases of brucellosis). From the 47 cases with acute meningitis, only one case had a positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture for meningococci and 46 patients had negative CSF culture. The most common clinical symptoms was fever and headache (90%) and the least was seizure (9%). Mortality rate was 7.5% (4 cases). There were no significant risk factors except for two patients with acute meningitis and two cases with chronic meningitis. Conclusions: According to negative CSF cultures in acute meningitis, CSF culture using the BACTEC automated system and specific viral tests is recommended for detection of the etiological agents of viral and bacterial meningitis, particularly in the Iranian population where patients use antibiotics without prescription.