Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41032173›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology2026

Community-acquired bacterial meningitis in Southern Sweden 2013-2023: a population-based study of incidence, aetiology and diagnostic yield.

Tobias West, Robin Carlander, Torgny Sunnerhagen, Gustav Torisson, Oskar Ljungquist

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Article in European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tobias WestDivision of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. tobias.west@med.lu.se.
Robin CarlanderDivision of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Torgny SunnerhagenDivision of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Gustav TorissonClinical Infection Medicine, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Oskar LjungquistDivision of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDespite advances in medical care, bacterial meningitis still poses a considerable health issue from a global perspective. An ageing population and increasing development and use of vaccines are likely to affect the incidence and aetiology. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and aetiology of community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) in our setting, as well as the serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis causing CABM, in relation to available vaccines.

methodPatients of all ages with CABM in southern Sweden 2013-2023 were included. Patients were identified through records of cerebrospinal fluid tests from the Department of Clinical Microbiology, and through International Classification of Diseases 10 codes for bacterial meningitis. Age-standardised incidence rates were calculated based on the European Standard Population 2013.

resultsDuring the study period, 244 episodes of CABM in 238 individuals were identified. Definitive aetiology could be established in 93% of episodes. Mean incidence rate was 1.63 per 100,000 person-years, with a trend of declining incidence during the study period. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen, accounting for 46.7% of episodes. 63.6% of the episodes of pneumococcal meningitis were caused by serotypes included in current vaccines.

conclusionPneumococcal meningitis is the primary driver of incidence and trends of all-cause community-acquired bacterial meningitis in southern Sweden. Further studies are warranted to investigate how vaccination could influence both disease incidence and shifts in serotype distribution, while also identifying optimal patient populations for targeted interventions.

Indexed as

Community-Acquired InfectionsMeningitis, BacterialAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMeningitis, PneumococcalMiddle AgedAetiologyBacterial meningitisIncidenceSerotypesTemporal trendVaccine-preventable

Identifiers

PMID41032173
PMCPMC12872648

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.