Laboratory methods for the diagnosis of meningitis caused by neisseria meningitidis, streptococcus pneumoniae, and haemophilus influenzae: WHO manual ; WHO meningitis manual

"The first edition has the WHO reference WHO/CDS/CSR/EDC/99.7: Laboratory Methods for the Diagnosis of Meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae, http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/1999/WHO_CDS_CSR_EDC_99.7.pdf" ; "In 1999, the World Health Organization published the first edition of 'Laboratory Methods for the Diagnosis of Meningitis Caused by Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.' That manual aimed to provide laboratories with a clear, concise guide to the basic procedures for isolating and identifying N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, and H. influenzae from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid of patients with bacterial meningitis. The focus was on including laboratory procedures chosen for their utility, ease of performance, and ability to give reproducible results; while taking into account the diversity of laboratory capabilities, availability of materials and reagents, and their cost. Since its publication, that manual has been widely adopted by laboratories worldwide. In the twelve years since the first edition of this manual, important changes have occurred both in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis and in the available laboratory techniques for isolating, identifying, and characterizing the causative organism. In recent years, great progress has been made in increasing worldwide access to vaccines to prevent meningococcal, pneumococcal, and H. influenzae type b (Hib) disease. Most recently, the historic development and implementation of a new meningococcal conjugate vaccine for serogroup A has the potential to eliminate epidemic meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. Surveillance for diseases caused by infectious agents that are targeted by newer vaccines will likely require a syndromic approach. Patients diagnosed with meningitis syndrome may all exhibit similar symptoms (i.e., fever, headache, stiff neck) but each individual's disease could be caused by a variety of organisms, including the bacterial meningitis ...