Positive bromide partition test in the absence of tuberculous meningitis.

Five cases of lymphocytic meningitis are described where a Bromide Partition Test was performed and proved positive at levels usually considered consistent with tuberculous meningitis. Three of these cases were ultimately shown to have herpes simplex viral encephalitis, one had Listeria monocytogenes in the CSF and the fifth patient recovered without treatment and was thought to have had a viral encephalitis. The Bromide Partition Test may not be as good a discriminant as has previously been suggested in differentiating between tuberculous and viral meningitis, especially when performed in a population at low risk of getting tuberculous meningitis.