Volume 21, Number 6—June 2015
CME ACTIVITY - Research
Estimated Deaths and Illnesses Averted During Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Associated with Contaminated Steroid Injections, United States, 2012–2013
Rachel Smith
, Gordana Derado, Matthew Wise, Julie R. Harris, Tom M. Chiller, Martin I. Meltzer, and Benjamin Park
, Gordana Derado, Matthew Wise, Julie R. Harris, Tom M. Chiller, Martin I. Meltzer, and Benjamin Park
Table 3
Clinical characteristics and 60-day case fatality rates for meningitis and stroke patients given a diagnosis on or before October 4, 2012, versus after October 4, 2012
| Characteristic |
Diagnosis date on or before October 4, n = 82 |
Diagnosis date after October 4, n = 307 |
p value |
| CSF parameters* | |||
| Median leukocyte count, cells/μL | 1,064 | 29 | <0.0001 |
| Median total protein, g/dL Median glucose, mg/dL | 117 38 | 71 55 | <0.0001 <0.0001 |
| Median no. of symptoms | 5 | 4 | <0.0001 |
| Antifungal treatment within 48 h of diagnosis | 20 (59%)† | 173 (84%)† | 0.0006 |
| Death within 60 d of diagnosis | 23 (28%)‡ | 17 (6%)‡ | <0.0001 |
| Laboratory-confirmed cases only, n = 110 | 33 | 77 | |
| Death within 60 d of diagnosis | 13 (39%)§ | 6 (8%)§ | <0.0001 |
*CSF, cerebrospinal fluid.
†The denominators used for percentages represent the number of case-patients for whom data on antifungal treatment was available (34 and 206, respectively) for each diagnosis period.
‡The denominators used for percentages are the total number of case-patients for each diagnosis period.
§The denominators used were the total laboratory-confirmed cases for each diagnosis period.
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