الفهرس 
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Abstract
Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. It’s caused when the protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord known as the meninges become infected by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.
Meningitis is a serious health problem demanding early diagnosis, effective treatment, prevention and control.
Suspected bacterial or viral meningitis is a medical emergency; thus, immediate steps must be taken to establish the specific diagnosis and empirical antimicrobial treatment must be started rapidly. Early initiation of appropriate therapy, particularly antibiotics for bacterial meningitis, improves outcome. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children and elderly. The mortality of untreated bacterial meningitis approaches 100% and even with optimum treatment mortality and morbidity might happen. In Egypt, the case fatality rate ranged from 8.5 to 55%.
Clinical signs and symptoms are unreliable in distinguishing bacterial meningitis from the more common forms of abacterial meningitis; therefore, lumbar puncture with cerebrospinal fluid analysis is recommended.
The aim of this work was to study the diagnostic role of serum procalcitonin in differentiation between bacterial and abacterial meningitis.
This study was conducted on 40 subjects classified into 2 groups:
• Group I: consisted of twenty patients with clinical manifestations and positive CSF criteria of suspected bacterial meningitis.
• Group II: consisted of twenty patients with clinical manifestations and positive CSF criteria of suspected abacterial meningitis.
All patients were subjected to the following:
1. Detailed history taking.
2. Thorough clinical examination focusing on neurological signs.
3. Routine laboratory investigations:
a. Complete blood picture.
b. Random blood sugar.
c. Lumbar puncture for CSF analysis including chemical and cytological analysis as well as culture and sensitivity.
d. ESR 1st, 2nd hour.
e. C-reactive protein (CRP).
f. Liver function tests and renal function tests.
4. Estimation of serum procalcitonin.
5. Radiological investigations:
a. CT brain.
b. MRI brain.