Abstract

Bacterial meningitis remains a health concern in meningitis belt countries. The objective of this study was to ascertain the bacterial profiles of meningitis in Côte d'Ivoire from 2012 to 2020. The study, conducted retrospectively at the National Center of Reference of Meningitis of Cote d’ivoire, analyzed 5046 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from January 2012 to December 2020. Epidemiological data were collected as part of the study. All the samples were subjected to analysis using classic bacteriology, antibiogram, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. More than 80% of the studied population fell within the age range of 0 to 5 years. The male-to-female sex ratio was 1.45, translating to 2987 men and 2059 women. Neisseria meningitidis was the predominant pathogen in 2012 (59%) and 2013 (64%). However, from 2014 to 2020, Streptococcus pneumoniae became the most frequently identified pathogen, ranging from 44.74 to 77.30%. Haemophilus influenzae type b was observed from 2015 to 2020, with prevalence rates ranging from 14.3 to 16.66%.  H. influenzae non-b was observed with rates ranging from 10 to 15% from 2018 to 2020. No cases of N. meningitidis A were reported. The emergence of bacteria responsible for meningitis, such as pneumococcus and H. influenzae, was noted. Microbiological monitoring is deemed essential for the prevention of meningitis.

Key words: Emergence,bacterial, meningitis, ecosystem, monitoring.