Skip to main content
Public Health Reports logoLink to Public Health Reports
. 1976 Sep-Oct;91(5):464–468.

Bacterial meningitis in Navojo Indians.

J L Coulehan, R H Michaels, K E Williams, D K Lemley, C Q North Jr, T K Welty, K D Rogers
PMCID: PMC1440563  PMID: 824672

Abstract

An analysis of 219 confirmed cases of bacterial meningitis among Navajo Indians during a 5-year period, July 1, 1968, through June 30, 1973, revealed that 56 percent were caused by Haemophilus influenzae, 26 percent by Neisseria meningitidis, 6 percent by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 6 percent by other organisms. The annual incidence of H. influenzae meningitis (17.7 per 100,000 persons) and that of pneumococcal meningitis (8.0 per 100,000) were much higher than the rates for these diseases reported from other population groups. The annual incidence of meningococcal meningitis (2.0 per 100,000) was similar to that found elsewhere. There was an ususual concentration of cases during the first year of life; 78 percent of H. influenzae, 64 percent of pneumococcal, and 50 percent of meningococcal meningitis occurred during this time. However, bacterial meningitis during the first month of life was not frequent (0.29 per 1,000 live births). Case fatality rates were similar to those reported for other population groups.

Full text

PDF
464

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brenner C., Reisinger K. S., Rogers K. D. Navajo infant mortality, 1970. Public Health Rep. 1974 Jul-Aug;89(4):353–359. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Collier A. M., Connor J. D., Nyhan W. L. Systemic infection with Hemophilus influenzae in very young infants. J Pediatr. 1967 Apr;70(4):539–547. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(67)80037-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Floyd R. F., Federspiel C. F., Schaffner W. Bacterial meningitis in urban and rural Tennessee. Am J Epidemiol. 1974 Jun;99(6):395–407. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a121628. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fraser D. W., Darby C. P., Koehler R. E., Jacobs C. F., Feldman R. A. Risk factors in bacterial meningitis: Charleston County, South Carolina. J Infect Dis. 1973 Mar;127(3):271–277. doi: 10.1093/infdis/127.3.271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fraser D. W., Geil C. C., Feldman R. A. Bacterial meningitis in Bernalillo County, New Mexico: a comparison with three other American populations. Am J Epidemiol. 1974 Jul;100(1):29–34. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fraser D. W., Henke C. E., Feldman R. A. Changing patterns of bacterial meningitis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1935-1970. J Infect Dis. 1973 Sep;128(3):300–307. doi: 10.1093/infdis/128.3.300. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Howie V. M., Ploussard J. H., Lester R. L., Jr Otitis media: a clinical and bacteriological correlation. Pediatrics. 1970 Jan;45(1):29–35. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Johnson R. L. Chronic otitis media in school age Navajo Indians. Laryngoscope. 1967 Nov;77(11):1990–1995. doi: 10.1288/00005537-196711000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kaiser A. B., Hennekens C. H., Saslaw M. S., Hayes P. S., Bennett J. V. Seroepidemiology and chemoprophylaxis disease due to sulfonamide-resistant Neisseria meningitidis in a civillian population. J Infect Dis. 1974 Sep;130(3):217–224. doi: 10.1093/infdis/130.3.217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Michaels R. H. Increase in influenzal meningitis. N Engl J Med. 1971 Sep 16;285(12):666–667. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197109162851207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mortimer E. A., Jr Indian health: an unmet problem. Pediatrics. 1973 Jun;51(6):1065–1066. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pizzi M. A Severe Epidemic of Meningococcus Meningitis in Chile, 1941-1942. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1944 Mar;34(3):231–238. doi: 10.2105/ajph.34.3.231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Riley H. D., Jr Neonatal meningitis. J Infect Dis. 1972 Apr;125(4):420–425. doi: 10.1093/infdis/125.4.420. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Sell S. H., Merrill R. E., Doyne E. O., Zimsky E. P., Jr Long-term sequelae of Hemophilus influenzae meningitis. Pediatrics. 1972 Feb;49(2):206–211. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Smith E. W., Jr, Haynes R. E. Changing incidence of Hemophilus influenzae meningitis. Pediatrics. 1972 Nov;50(5):723–727. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sproles E. T., 3rd, Azerrad J., Williamson C., Merrill R. E. Meningitis due to Hemophilus influenzae: long-term sequelae. J Pediatr. 1969 Nov;75(5):782–788. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(69)80300-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Zonis R. D. Chronic otitis media in the southwestern American Indian. I. Prevalence. Arch Otolaryngol. 1968 Oct;88(4):360–365. doi: 10.1001/archotol.1968.00770010362006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Public Health Reports are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES