Therapy of bacterial meningitis

Usually, purulent meningitis is an acute bacterial disease. For more than fifty years, antibiotic chemotherapy is widely available. However, the course of bacterial meningitis remains lethal in more than 20% of affected adult patients. Survivors often suffer from neurological and neuropsychological sequelae. The following article provides an overview of the current therapeutical concepts for community acquired bacterial meningitis in adults. For the treatment of purulent meningitis in Germany, we recommend ampicillin and a third-generation cephalosporin as initial antibiotic therapy. A recent study demonstrated a reduction of mortality and neurological sequelae with adjuvant dexamethasone therapy.