Neonatal meningitis

Neonatal meningitis occurs in babies under one month old. There are different causes of neonatal meningitis, but the most common are bacteria called group B streptococcus (GBS), followed by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and listeria.

When infection occurs within the first week of life, it’s called ‘early onset’ and will more commonly cause septicaemia. After one week of life, it is called ‘late onset’ and meningitis can be more typical.

How neonatal meningitis is caused

Charlie McDermott GBS and E.coli bacteria can be carried in healthy people and not cause any problems. Women can carry the bacteria in their intestines and vagina, and babies who develop neonatal meningitis caused by these bacteria can develop early onset infection when exposed to the bacteria during delivery.

The risk is higher for premature babies, or those born after long or difficult labour.
Late onset infection occurs from exposure to the bacteria after delivery.
Listeria is usually transmitted to the baby across the placenta during pregnancy.
A mother with Listeria infection can have flu–like symptoms and the infection can cause premature labour. The baby will therefore be unwell as soon as they are born.

Can neonatal meningitis be prevented?

At the moment there is little offered to prevent neonatal meningitis.

Pregnant women can be screened to see if they are carriers of GBS. This procedure can be requested, but is not standard practice in the UK.
If women are screened during 35-37 weeks of their pregnancy and are found to be carrying GBS, they will be offered antibiotics before and during labour to prevent risk to the baby.
Very few cases of Listeria meningitis now occur each year in the UK. This is as a result of successful education campaigns warning about the dangers of eating soft cheeses and other foods that might harbour Listeria bacteria during pregnancy.

How is neonatal meningitis treated?

In such small babies diagnosis can be difficult, but neonatal meningitis can be treated with antibiotics.

Key facts

Neonatal meningitis is rare.
Unfortunately the death rate from neonatal meningitis can be as high as 20%.
As many as 50% of babies making a recovery from neonatal meningitis will be left with a disability.

Need more information on neonatal meningitis?

You can download our neonatal meningitis fact sheet. Or, if you have a question, you can speak to experienced staff on our freephone helpline, available 24-hours a day: 0808 80 10 388, or you can email us at helpline@meningitis-trust.org and we will come back to you as soon as we can.