Treatment of Meningococcal Meningitis with Penicillin-Susceptible Neisseria meningitidis

Clinical Scenario

This first-line protocol covers patients with meningococcal meningitis whose causative Neisseria meningitidis isolate has been confirmed as penicillin susceptible, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) below 0.1 μg/mL. Susceptibility status directly determines which treatment pathway applies.

Key Susceptibility Criterion

A confirmed MIC below 0.1 μg/mL classifies the organism as penicillin susceptible and defines this clinical sub-population. This threshold is the entry criterion for the first-line regimen described by this protocol.

Treatment Approach

The regimen is built around intravenous antibiotic therapy, with a preferred agent indicated for confirmed penicillin-susceptible strains and a defined set of alternative agents for situations where the primary choice is not appropriate.

Complete agent selection, sequencing, and all dosing specifics are available in the full structured protocol →

Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.01.007

Penicillin susceptible (MIC <0.1 μg/mL)
Penicillin or amoxicillin/ampicillin
Ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, chloramphenicol
The majority of patients with N. meningitidis strains of intermediate susceptibility to penicillin described in the literature responded well to penicillin therapy.
The advised duration of treatment is 7 days.

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