Clinical use of the serum bactericidal test to guide therapy in pediatric patients with penicillin and cephalosporin-nonsusceptible pneumococcal meningitis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lin, Yu-Chen | Wang, Ruay-Shyang | Huang, I-Fei^; | Hsieh, Kai-Sheng | Chiou, Christine C.^;

Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, LongCyuan Veterans Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan | Department of Pediatrics, YongKang Veterans Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan | Department of Pediatrics, Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan | National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan

Note: [] Correspondence: Christine C. Chiou, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Veterans General Hospital- Kaohsiung, 386, Ta-Chung 1st Road, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 7 346 8202; Fax: +886 7 346 8207; E-mail: chenchia@yahoo.com

Abstract: We report four pediatric patients with penicillin and cephalosporin-nonsusceptible pneumococcal meningitis who were treated with dexamethasone for the first four days of vancomycin therapy. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid bactericidal tests were performed to measure in vivo activity of vancomycin in the presence of dexamethasone. Favorable outcome was achieved in all four patients.

Keywords: Dexamethasone, serum bactericidal test, pneumococcal meningitis, resistant, vancomycin

Journal: Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 157-161, 2007