ReviewCureus2026
Comparative Effectiveness of Short-Course Versus Standard-Course Empiric Antibiotic Therapy for Acute Bacterial Meningitis: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) remains a significant cause of mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental morbidity in children. While standard treatment often involves 14-21 days of antibiotic therapy, the optimal duration of empiric treatment remains debated. This systematic review aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of short-course empiric antibiotic treatment (<10 days) versus standard-course treatment (14-21 days) in reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with suspected ABM. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, the Cochrane Library, and clinical trial registries. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies in which the authors reported and compared antibiotic treatment durations for bacterial meningitis. Data on antibiotics, doses and treatment durations, mortality, neurological sequelae (including hearing loss, developmental delay, and motor deficits), and hospitalization outcomes were extracted and analyzed. Eight studies, all of which were RCTs, involving 1,562 patients were included. Seven studies included pediatric populations, while one included neonates. Short-course therapy (4-10 days) demonstrated clinical outcomes comparable to those of standard-course therapy (14-21 days), with respect to the primary outcomes. No significant differences were observed in mortality rates, the incidence of hearing loss, or long-term neurological sequelae between the treatment groups. Shorter antibiotic courses were associated with a significantly reduced duration of hospitalization (p < 0.05) and lower rates of nosocomial infections. Older studies (pre-2011) used ceftriaxone monotherapy, whereas more recent studies used combination therapy with ceftriaxone and vancomycin. Short-course antibiotic therapy is a safe and effective alternative to standard regimens for pediatric and neonatal bacterial meningitis. Shorter treatment durations may reduce healthcare costs, hospital-acquired infections, and cumulative antibiotic exposure. However, large, multicenter RCTs are needed to further validate combination therapy protocols and support the development of standardized, evidence-based guidelines.
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