Abstract

During a serious epidemic of chest and urinary infections due to Klebsiella aerogenes in a neurosurgical unit, several patients developed klebsiella meningitis after trauma or surgery. Despite all attempts to control the epidemic and treat the meningitis with antibiotics, eight of the nine patients died. It was not until all antibiotics used to treat respiratory and urinary infections had been totally withdrawn that no further patients developed klebsiella meningitis.