Serial Meningitis Sampling (SMS) substudy

Inclusion procedure

1. Patients with a high clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis admitted to a hospital in which the SMS MeninGene study is running, are eligible for the study.
2. Call us to include a patient as soon as possible after diagnosing the patient with (suspected) bacterial meningitis (020-5664586/ 06-38437975)
3. The treating physician informs the patient (or his/her representative) about the study and ask informed consent.
   NB. Inclusion is preferably as soon as possible, the patient can be enrolled until 48 after admission.
4. Blood is collected from the patient on day 0, 1, 2, and 7 after admission and 3 months after discharge and a throat swab of patient and control is taken on day of admission. Blood and bacterial isolates from throat swab will be stored in the local laboratory. See lab forms for the required blood tubes.
   NB. Please write the case record form (CRF) number, date of birth and on the patient material.
5. The blood samples and bacterial isolates from throat swabs will be collected and analysed in the AMC.
6. We will send you a bottle of wine to thank you for your effort.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

In the MeninGene SMS study all patients with a clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis based on clinical presentation and typical cerebrospinal fluid characteristics or a positive gram staining of the cerebrospinal fluid can be included.
When in doubt whether the patient is eligible for inclusion please contact us.

Inclusion criteria:

All patients aged 16 years or more can be included if there is a clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis and at least one of the following CSF characteristics is present:

• CSF glucose level < 1.9 mmol/L, or
• CSF to blood glucose ratio <0.23, or
• CSF protein level >2.20 g/L, or
• CSF white-cell count >2,000/mm³, or
• a positive CSF Gram stain, or
• a positive CSF culture

Exclusion criteria:

• Neurosurgical operation in the month previous to the meningitis episode
• Head trauma in the month previous to the meningitis episode
• Presence of neurosurgical devices in the central nervous system such as cerebrospinal fluid catheters or deep brain stimulator.

English patient information letters and informed consent forms are not availble. Dutch versions can be downloaded via this link.