11-13 October 2018, Munich, Germany

Acute CNS infections are still associated with high mortality and morbidity. Crucial factors for improving outcome are a quick diagnostic work-up, the swift start of empiric antibiotic treatment and, in pneumococcal meningitis, adjunctive therapy with dexamethasone. One important reason for the poor outcome is the frequent development of intracranial complications. In the postgraduate education course “acute bacterial CNS infections of the brain”, the first focus will be on the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected CNS infections. The second focus will concentrate on the therapeutic management and, finally, the participants will learn how to deal with intracranial complications in CNS infections. The majority of the session will take place in groups under the guidance of expert senior physicians on CNS infections. This setting will ensure an intense and interactive teaching atmosphere.

A brain abscess is a focal infection of the brain that begins as a localized area of cerebritis. In immunocompetent patients, bacteria are responsible for >95% of brain abscesses, and enter the brain either through contiguous spread following otitis, sinusitis, neurosurgery, or cranial trauma, or through haematogenous dissemination. Brain abscess has complex diagnostic challenges and potentially severe consequences. The aim of the authors of this review, experts in infectious diseases, intensive care, microbiology, neurosurgery and imaging, was to take into consideration the multidisciplinary nature of the disease; in 2017, they reviewed the state-of-the art for brain abscess, focusing on immunocompetent patients and putting special emphasis on recent papers. This review is structured in different chapters giving update on pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, neurosurgery, microbiology, antibacterial treatment and symptomatic measures

A Case Based Approach to Guidelines: Meningitis, Encephalitis, and Nervous System Lyme Disease

The aim of this session was to describe diagnostic approaches and patients management for meningitis, encephalitis and nervous system Lyme disease. Key features listed in the guidelines were highlighted.

Moderators: Jean-Paul Stahl andAdarsh Bhimraj

Speakers: Diederik van de Beek, Christina Marra, John Halperin

ESCMID 2016 guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of acute bacterial meningitis

Clin Microbiol Infect 2016; V22 S3, pages S37 - S62

Coordinated by ESGIB

ESCMID PGEC Significance of Experimental Models for Studying Bacterial Meningitis and Sepsis

Siena, Italy, May 2012

Course material in the ESCMID OLL

EMESG Collaborative Study

Bacteremia causes hippocampal apoptosis in experimental pneumococcal meningitis

Christian Østergaard, Stephen L Leib, Ian Rowland and Christian T Brandt

BMC Infect Dis. 2010 Jan 3;10:1

EMESG Collaborative Study

Lack of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect of adjuvant glycerol in experimental pneumococcal meningitis

Presented as poster at 19 th ECCMID, Helsinki 2009

EMESG Publication

Therapy of community-acquired acute bacterial meningitis: the clock is running

M Klein, HW Pfister, SL Leib & U Koedel

Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2009 Nov;10(16):2609-23