ArticlePloS one2022
The epidemiology and outcomes of central nervous system infections in Far North Queensland, tropical Australia; 2000-2019.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The added value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in central nervous system infections: a systematic review of case reports.Infection · 2025Pooled it
- Neurological manifestations of scrub typhus infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical features and case fatality.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Pooled it
- A post-implementation evaluation of BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis panel for pathogen detection in cerebrospinal fluid with a special focus on clinical significance of HHV-6.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Observational
- CK and LRRK2 Involvement in Neurodegenerative Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The Incidence, Aetiology and Clinical Course of Serious Infections Complicating Biological and Targeted Synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Tropical Australia.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Clinical presentation, management, and outcome of suspected central nervous system infections in Indonesia: a prospective cohort study.Infection · 2024Article
- Case Report: Leptospirosis Complicated by Persistent, Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- Human gnathostomiasis: A review on the biology of the parasite with special reference on the current therapeutic management.Food and waterborne parasitology · 2023Review
- Review
- Article
- The seasonality of infections in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia: A 21-year retrospective evaluation of the seasonal patterns of six endemic pathogens.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe epidemiology of central nervous system (CNS) infections in tropical Australia is incompletely defined.
methodsA retrospective study of all individuals in Far North Queensland, tropical Australia, who were diagnosed with a CNS infection between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019. The microbiological aetiology of the infection was correlated with patients' demographic characteristics and their clinical course.
resultsThere were 725 cases of CNS infection during the study period, meningitis (77.4%) was the most common, followed by brain abscess (11.6%), encephalitis (9.9%) and spinal infection (1.1%). Infants (24.3%, p<0.0001) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (175/666 local residents, 26.3%, p<0.0001) were over-represented in the cohort. A pathogen was identified in 513 cases (70.8%); this was viral in 299 (41.2%), bacterial in 175 (24.1%) and fungal in 35 (4.8%). Cryptococcal meningitis (24 cases) was diagnosed as frequently as pneumococcal meningitis (24 cases). There were only 2 CNS infections with a S. pneumoniae serotype in the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine after its addition to the National Immunisation schedule in 2011. Tropical pathogens-including Cryptococcus species (9/84, 11%), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (7/84, 8%) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (5/84, 6%)-were among the most common causes of brain abscess. However, arboviral CNS infections were rare, with only one locally acquired case-a dengue infection in 2009-diagnosed in the entire study period. Intensive Care Unit admission was necessary in 14.3%; the overall case fatality rate was 4.4%.
conclusionTropical pathogens cause CNS infections as commonly as traditional bacterial pathogens in this region of tropical Australia. However, despite being highlighted in the national consensus guidelines, arboviruses were identified very rarely. Prompt access to sophisticated diagnostic and supportive care in Australia's well-resourced public health system is likely to have contributed to the cohort's low case-fatality rate.
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