Journal article
Practice Patterns of Infectious Disease Physicians for Management of Meningococcal Disease
The Pediatric infectious disease journal, Vol.31(11), pp.E208-E212
11/01/2012
DOI: 10.1097/INF.0b013e31826323a4
PMID: 22705919
Abstract
Background: Although empiric treatment regimens for acute bacterial meningitis are well established, there are many uncertainties regarding management of meningococcal disease. A survey was conducted among infectious disease specialists to assess meningococcal disease practice patterns and availability of antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria menigitidis.
Methods: An online survey was distributed to 1342 pediatric and adult infectious disease specialists to assess common practices and opinions regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of meningococcal disease. Specialists were also asked about the availability of antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Neisseria meningitidis at their clinical microbiology laboratory.
Results: Six hundred fifty members responded to the survey (48%). Pediatric infectious disease specialists were more likely than adult specialists to use penicillin as definitive therapy for meningococcal disease (56% versus 46%; P = 0.038). Most pediatric specialists who would narrow therapy report that they would only switch to penicillin upon confirmation of penicillin susceptibility (55%), although 44% would narrow therapy based on a N. meningitidis species confirmation alone. More than one third of respondents reported that susceptibility testing for N. meningitidis is not routinely performed. There was also wide variation in complement deficiency screening criteria and meningococcal disease chemoprophylaxis practices among respondents.
Conclusions: Infectious disease specialists vary significantly in their practices regarding several aspects of meningococcal disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for N. meningitidis is not routinely performed in many practices. Consideration of these variations would be useful when developing treatment and prevention recommendations.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Practice Patterns of Infectious Disease Physicians for Management of Meningococcal Disease
- Creators
- Andrew Terranella - Epidemic Intelligence ServiceSusan E. Beekmann - University of IowaPhilip M. Polgreen - Univ Iowa, Carver Coll Med, Emerging Infect Network, Iowa City, IA USAAmanda Cohn - Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Meningitis & Vaccine Preventable Dis Branch, Natl Ctr Immunizat & Resp Dis, Atlanta, GA USAHenry M. Wu - Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Meningitis & Vaccine Preventable Dis Branch, Natl Ctr Immunizat & Resp Dis, Atlanta, GA USAThomas A. Clark - Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Meningitis & Vaccine Preventable Dis Branch, Natl Ctr Immunizat & Resp Dis, Atlanta, GA USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Pediatric infectious disease journal, Vol.31(11), pp.E208-E212
- DOI
- 10.1097/INF.0b013e31826323a4
- PMID
- 22705919
- NLM abbreviation
- Pediatr Infect Dis J
- ISSN
- 0891-3668
- eISSN
- 1532-0987
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Number of pages
- 5
- Grant note
- U50 CI 00358 / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA U50CI000358 / NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (NCID); United States Department of Health & Human Services; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention - USA
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2012
- Academic Unit
- Infectious Diseases; Epidemiology; Injury Prevention Research Center; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984359674102771
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