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Possibilities for prevention neuroinfections

Publication at Second Faculty of Medicine |
2015

Abstract

Neuroinfections are serious diseases. They are associated with frequent development of permanent consequences even death.

The aim was to determine potentially preventable agents by vaccinations in patients who were hospitalized in the years 2004 - 2013 at the Department of Infectious Diseases of the University Hospital Ostrava. The prospective study included 1463 patients, of which 283 patients with purulent meningitis and 1,180 patients with aseptic meningitis.

The criterion for the diagnosis was the number of elements in cerebrospinal fluid more than 5x106/l. The diagnosis of purulent meningitis was established by cultivation cereebrospinal fluid and blood culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Listeria monocytogenes.

The diagnosis of aseptic meningitis was established by serological tests for tick-borne encephalitis, enterovirus, mumps, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Lyme disease. PCR was used to investigate enterovirus, influenza virus, and herpes viruses.

In 283 patients with purulent meningitis were potentially preventable agents detected in 124 cases (44%), of which 70 cases Streptococcus pneumoniae, 51 cases Neisseria meningitidis, 7 cases Haemophilus influenzae type b, 1 case Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 1,180 patients with aseptic meningitis were potentially preventable agents detected in 257 cases (22%) tick-borne encephalitis in 186 cases, 54 cases of varicella zoster virus infection, 14 cases of mumps and 3 cases of flu.

From the results we can state that vaccination is an important prevention of neuroinfections and it is desirable to increase immunization coverage especially of risk populations.