Alisha Akya - Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine AND Nosocomial Infection Research Centre, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Kamal Ahmadi - M.Sc, Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Bizhan Nomanpour - Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Background & Aims: Neisseria meningitidis is bacteria fastidious, and the main causes of meningitis and acute sepsis. Appropriate treatment depends on accurate and timely diagnosis. This study aimed to identify Neisseria meningitidis infection in samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with suspected meningitis. Methods: In this study, ۱۹۸ samples of cerebrospinal fluid of patients with suspected bacterial meningitis were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) targeted with specific primers prepared from meningococcal ctrA gene with the length of ۱۱۰ bp. In addition, the data of patients and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid were collected. Results: The mean age of the studied patients was ۳۲.۱ ± ۲۵.۳ year. Totally, the samples of ۷ patients (۳.۵%) with the mean age of ۴۴.۰ ± ۲۸.۲ years were positive for meningococcal infectioun with the mean protein and glucose levels of ۳۹.۸۶ and ۴۱.۸۶ mg/dl, respectively. In positive cases, the mean number of white blood cells was ۵۰۰۹ with the mean polymorphonuclear (PMN) value was ۷۶.۵%. Conclusion: In this study, most of the positive cases were middle-aged men with a higher incidence rate in the winter. It seems that the traditional methods of cultivation are not sensitive enough to detect this bacterium in cerebrospinal fluid. Alternatively, the molecular techniques such as real-time polymerase chain reaction seem to be accurate, sensitive and rapid for the detection of meningococcus in cerebrospinal fluid. The cytological and biochemical findings of cerebrospinal fluid can provide valuable clues in the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis

Bacterial meningitis, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Meningococcal