† MIC = minimum inhibitory concentration.‡Addition of rifampicin can be considered if the organism is susceptible, the expected clinical or bacteriological response is delayed, or the cefotaxime/ceftriaxone MIC of the pneumococcal isolate is >4.0 μg/mL organism is susceptible, the expected clinical or bacteriological response is delayed, or the cefotaxime/ceftriaxone MIC.
Φ No clinical data exist for use of this agent in patients with pneumococcal meningitis; recommendation is based on cerebrospinal fluid penetration and in-vitro activity against S. pneumoniae.
£ Addition of an aminoglycoside should be considered; might need intraventricular or intrathecal administration in Gram-negative meningitis.
ǁ Addition of rifampicin should be considered.
Ω Choice of a specific agent should be based on in-vitro susceptibility testing.
†† Might also need to be administered by the intraventricular or intrathecal routes.
ǂ Might also need to be administered by the intraventricular or intrathecal routes.
₦ Addition of rifampicin should be considered.
Δ The fluoroquinolones gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin pene trate the CSF effectively and have greater in-vitro activity against Gram-positive bacteria than do their earlier counterparts (eg, ciprofloxacin). Findings from experi mental meningitis models suggested their efficacy in S. pneumoniae meningitis, including that caused by penicillin-resistant and cephalosporin-resistant strains. Although one controlled trial suggested the fluoroquinolone trovafl -oxacin mesilate to be as eff ective as ceftriaxone, with or without the addition of vancomycin, for paediatric bacterial meningitis, no clinical trials describe the use of gatifloxacin or moxifloxacin to treat bacterial meningitis in human beings. Trovafloxacin and gatifloxacin have been asso ciated with serious hepatic toxicity and dysglycaemia, respectively, and were with drawn from many markets. The IDSA guidelines recommend moxifloxacin as an alternative to third-generation cephalosporins plus vancomycin for meningitis caused by S. pneumoniae strains resistant to penicillin and third-generation cephalosporins, although some experts recom mend that this agent should not be used alone but rather should be combined with another drug (either vancomycin or a third-generation cephalosporin), because of the absence of clinical data supporting its use.