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Table 1 Case fatality for confirmed pneumococcal meningitis by period (defined by empiric antibiotic therapy)

From: Clinical outcome of pneumococcal meningitis during the emergence of pencillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae: an observational study

Characteristic

Time period a

Total

 

Dec 1995--Nov 1998

Dec 1998--Nov 2002

Dec 2002--Nov 2005

 
 

N = 209

N = 220

N = 119

 
 

Cases

Deaths (% CFR)

Cases

Deaths (% CFR)

Cases

Deaths (% CFR)

Cases

Deaths (% CFR)

Age category

        

<30 days

4

3 (75.0)

1

1 (100)

0

--

5

4 (80)

30-364 days

76

53 (69.7)

86

42 (48.8)

22

10 (45.4)

184

105 (57.1)

1-4 years

23

13 (56.5)

19

6 (31.6)

13

8 (61.5)

55

27 (49.1)

5-14 years

38

2 (5.3)

39

6 (15.4)

21

2 (9.5)

98

10 (10.2)

15-49 years

56

18 (32.1)

65

11 (16.9)

46

10 (21.7)

167

39 (23.3)

50 years or older

12

7 (58.3)

10

3 (30)

17

8 (47.1)

39

18 (46.1)

Initial antibiotic therapy

        

Ampicillin or penicillin b

124

46 (37.1)

40

6 (15.0)

5

0 (0)

169

52 (30.8)

Ceftriaxone

68

37 (54.4)

148

50 (33.7)

108

37 (34.3)

324

124 (38.3)

Ceftriaxone + Vancomycin

1

0 (0)

20

5 (25)

1

0 (0)

22

5 (22.7)

Other/Unknown

16

12 (75)

12

9 (75)

5

1 (20)

33

22 (66.7)

Discordant therapy c

        

Yes

14

7 (50)

7

3 (42.9)

1

0 (0)

22

10 (45.5)

No

195

90 (46.2)

213

66 (30.9)

118

38 (32.2)

526

193 (36.7)

Pneumococcal isolate resistant to penicillin d

29

17 (58.6)

37

18 (48.6)

23

9 (39.1)

92

44 (47.8)

  1. a Study period was divided into three periods for the purposes of this analysis: empiric therapy containing a penicillin (December 1995-November 1998), transition period (December 1998-November 2002) and empiric therapy with ceftriaxone (December 2002-November 2005).
  2. b Includes regimens with ampicillin in combination with chloramphenicol or an aminoglycoside. A small proportion of patients received crystalline penicillin G in place of ampicillin.
  3. c Antibiotic therapy was defined as discordant when patients did not receive a β-lactam antibiotic for which the S. pneumoniae isolate was susceptible during the initial 24 hours of hospitalization.
  4. d Defined as penicillin MIC >0.06 μg/ml for a pneumococcal isolate from a patient with meningitis.