• Annette K Ansong, P Brian Smith, Daniel K Benjamin, Reese H Clark, Jennifer S Li, C Michael Cotten, Barry Mangum, and Harmony P Garges.
• Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
• Early Hum. Dev. 2009 Oct 1; 85 (10 Suppl): S5-7.

ObjectiveDescribe cerebrospinal fluid parameters in infants with culture-proven Group B streptococcal meningitis in the era of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis.Study DesignCohort study of the first lumbar puncture from 13,495 infants cared for at 150 neonatal intensive care units. We compared cerebrospinal fluid parameters [white blood cell count, red blood cell count, glucose, and protein], demographics, and outcomes between infants with and without Group B streptococcal meningitis.ResultsWe identified 46 infants with Group B streptococcal meningitis. The median cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count was 271 cells/mm(3) for infants with Group B streptococcal meningitis and 6 cells/mm(3) for infants without meningitis (p=0.0001). Of the infants with Group B streptococcal meningitis, 9/46 (20%) had negative blood cultures. Meningitis complicated 22/145 (15%) of episodes of early-onset Group B streptococcal sepsis and 13/23 (57%) of episodes of late-onset Group B streptococcal sepsis.ConclusionsGroup B streptococcal meningitis occurs in the presence of negative blood cultures. In hospitalized infants who undergo a lumbar puncture, Group B streptococcal sepsis is frequently complicated by GBS meningitis.

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