CHANGING PATTERN OF ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY OF NEISSERIAE MENINGITIDIS FROM CHILDREN WITH MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS IN NORTH EASTERN NIGERIA

Objective: To determine the changing pattern of antibiotic sensitivity of Neisseriae meningitidis from children with Meningococcal meningitis in North Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out over 31 months, from January 2003 to July 2005 in the Paediatric ward of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Azare. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of all patients with clinical features of meningitis admitted were examined microbiologically, including culture for bacterial organisms and their sensitivity pattern as well as biochemical tests determined. Results: The CSF specimens from 44 patients, aged between 2 months and 12 years (20 females and 24 males) yielded gram negative intracellular diplococci by gram staining. Of these, Neisseriae meningitidis was cultured in 18 (40.9%). The remaining bacterial isolates did not survive culture. The analysis of antibiotic sensitivity of Neisseriae meningitides from the eighteen CSF specimens showed 100 per cent sensitivity to ceftriaxone. Resistance of the bacterial isolates to benzyl penicillin, ampicillin and chloramphenicol was 80%, 71.4% and 20% respectively. Varying levels of sensitivity of the organisms to augmentin (amoxicillin-clavulanic acid), gentamicin and cotrimoxazole were also documented. Conclusion: This study highlights the increasing resistance of Neisseriae meningitidis to empirically used antimicrobial drugs.