Bacterial Meningitis in the United States, 1978 Through 1981

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Abstract
From 1977 to 1981, 18,642 cases of bacterial meningitis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control. We analyzed data from 27 states with full participation from 1978 through 1981.Hemophilus influenzaewas the most frequent cause of bacterial meningitis (48.3%), followed byNeisseria meningitidis(19.6%) andStreptococcus pneumoniae(13.3%). Overall attack rates for males were greater than for females (3.3 v 2.6 cases per 105 population per year). Attack rates were highest in children under 1 year of age (76.7 per 105 population per year). Case-fatality ratios were highest for gram-negative and miscellaneous causes of bacterial meningitis (33.7%) and lowest for meningitis caused byH influenzae(6.0%).Neisseria meningitidisandS pneumoniaemeningitis occurred preponderantly during the winter, whileH influenzaemeningitis had peak activity in the spring and fall. Ampicillin resistance amongH influenzaeincreased from 18.7% in 1978, to 23.9% in 1981. SerogroupB Neisseria meningitidiswas the most common serogroup identified during the reporting period (51.1%), followed by serogroup C (22.3%), serogroup Y (5.8%), and serogroup A (4.7%) infections. (JAMA1985;253:1749-1754)

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