Comparison of Common Bacteria That Cause Meningitis in Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples by Culture and Polymerase Chain Reaction

Background: The etiology of meningitis, an infection and inflammation of the meningeal membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, is multifactorial. Among the infectious etiologies are viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. Objectives: The objective of this study is to utilize the molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to detect bacterial infections causing meningitis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from hospitalized patients suspected of having meningitis. Subsequently, a comparison is made between the PCR results and the results of sample cultures obtained in the laboratories of Hamadan educational hospitals. Methods: This study was conducted on 104 CSF samples collected from hospitalized patients suspected of having meningitis at the educational hospitals of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences from February 2022 to August 2023. The most common etiological agents of bacterial meningitis were identified using culture and PCR methods. These included Escherichia coli K1, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Neisseria meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae. Results: The mean age of the patients in this study was 31.57 ± 25.85 years. Of the participants, 53.85% were male and 46.15% were female. No bacteria were isolated from the studied samples by culture in hospital laboratories. However, the PCR method yielded the identification of five (4.81%) bacterial cases, including L. monocytogenes (0.96%), S. pneumoniae (1.92%), and S. agalactiae (1.92%), in the CSF samples under investigation. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated a low prevalence of common bacterial infections in CSF samples. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the molecular method is more precise and sensitive in detecting these bacteria compared to traditional culture techniques.