The Ceylon medical journal
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An outbreak of Aspergillus fumigatus meningitis occurred in 5 women following spinal anaesthesia, performed between 21 June and 17 July 2005 for caesarean section, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The patients' median age was 27 years. Different teams in 2 maternity hospitals gave spinal anaesthesia. ⋯ Withdrawal and incineration of all unused syringes controlled the outbreak. The survival of those aggressively treated for Aspergillus meningitis suggests in hindsight that the availability of diagnostic tests and specific treatment, and early recognition of the outbreak could have saved the lives of victims who died. Early life-threatening side-effects and permanent long term sequelae of antifungal medication stress the need to be cautious with empirical treatment in immuno-competent low-risk individuals.