Bacterial meningitis in breastfeeders (Pediatrics - PEDS)

This is an infection of the layers that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord called the meninges. Bacterial meningitis is more common in the first month than at any other time of life. Despite advances in pediatric intensive therapy, neonatal meningitis remains a devastating disease. The most common cause:

- in newborns: Streptococcus agalactiae and E. coli.

- from three months old: Meningococcus, pneumococcus and H. influenzae.

Neurological symptoms include irritability, lethargy, tremors, seizures and a bulging fontanelle. In newborn infants, the most common symptom is an unstable temperature, from fever to hypothermia. Diagnosis is suspected due to the symptoms. Tests are required: laboratory tests, lumbar puncture, blood cultures and cerebrospinal fluid cultures, CT scan and/or MRI scan. In newborn infants, meningitis should be ruled out in all cases of severe sepsis. It will be treated in an intensive care unit. Treatment is with antibiotics and must be started as soon as possible once the disease is suspected.