Childhood bacterial meningitis trends in Japan from 2005 to 2006

: We surveyed pediatric bacterial meningitis epidemiology from January 2005 to December 2006 in Japan, with the following results. Bacterial meningitis cases numbered 246 -138 boys and 108 girls-, equivalent to 1.7-1.72 children of 1,000 hospitalized in pediatrics per year. The age distribution for infection was highest in those under 1 year of age and decreased with increasing age, Haemophilus influenzae was the most common infection causing the pathogen, followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B streptococcus, and Escherichia coli. The relationship between causative pathogens and age distribution was as follows: group B streptococcus and E. coli were major pathogens in patients under 4 months old and H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae in those over 4 months old. Susceptibility tests at individual facilities showed 59.3% of H. influen- zae isolates and 69.3% of S. pneumoniae isolates in 2004 to be drug-resistant. Ampicillin and cephem antibiotics are effective against GBS, E. coli, and Listeria, so combined of ampicillin and cephem antibiotics are used as first-line antibiotics in many facilities in patients under 4 month old and combined of carbapenem antibiotics effective against PRSP and cephem effective against H. influenzae were the first choice against childhood bacterial meningitis in patients over 4 month old.