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Table 1 Aetiologic diagnoses and suggestive features

From: Severe community-acquired meningitis

Aetiology

Severe alcoholism, hypogammaglobulinemia, pneumoniae neutropenia, drepanocytic anemia, splenectomy, function deficiency, suppressiveimmunological therapy, acquired duramatralbreach

Suggestive features and comments

Extremes of age, pregnancy, hepatic cirrhosis,

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Haemophilus influenzae

Severe alcoholism, hypogammaglobulinemia, neutropenia, drepanocytic anemia, splenectomy, polynuclear function deficiency, suppressive immunological therapy, acquired duramatral breach

haemochromatosis, chronic renal failure, cellular immunodeficiency (Hodgkin’s and non Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphoid leukaemia, corticotherapy, organ transplantation

Neisseria meningitidis

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Complement deficiency must be suspected. However, there are no real risk groups. Classically, epidemics occur in closed populations of young adults.

If suspicion of penicillin-resistant pneumococci and/or signs of severity 

Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes

Extremes of age, pregnancy, hepatic cirrhosis, haemochromatosis, chronic renal failure, cellular immunodeficiency (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphoid leukaemia, corticotherapy, organ transplantation)