Investigation of the rate of meningitis in association with urinary tract infection in infants 90 days of age or younger

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that urinary tract infections (UTI) in young infants are rarely associated with meningitis. METHODS: We undertook a review of the laboratory results from 322 infants, 90 days of age or younger, with an admission or discharge diagnosis of UTI or meningitis. The study was conducted in a tertiary paediatric hospital. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of coexisting urinary tract and cerebrospinal fluid sepsis. RESULTS: In total, 161 of the 322 (50%) infants with an admission or discharge diagnosis of UTI or meningitis were subsequently shown to have a culture-proven UTI. Of the children with a culture-proven UTI, 75 (47%) had cerebrospinal fluid obtained. We detected one case of probable bacterial meningitis in association with UTI. CONCLUSION: UTI is rarely associated with meningitis in infants 90 days of age or younger.