Impact of Antibiotic Therapy in the Microbiological Yield of Healthcare-Associated Ventriculitis and Meningitis

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Feb 6;6(3):ofz050. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz050. eCollection 2019 Mar.

Abstract

The impact of antibiotic therapy on the diagnosis of healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (HCAVM) is unknown. Antibiotics were administered before obtaining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 217 out of 326 (66%) patients with HCAVM, and they impacted the sensitivity of the cerebrospinal fluid Gram stain and culture (P ≤ .004).

Keywords: CSF culture; antibiotic; healthcare-associated; meningitis; ventriculitis.