Treatment of childhood meningitis with mezlocillin.

30 children suffering from bacterial meningitis and 2 children suffering from septicemia were treated with 6-((R)-2-[3-methylsulfonyl-2-oxo-imidazolidine-1-carboxamido]-2-phenyl-acetmido(-penicillanic acid sodium salt (mezlocillin, Baypen). The daily dose was 250 mg/kg, divided in three portions. Therapy was successful in all patients. Neither signs of toxicity nor side effects of any kind could be found. Mezlocillin concentrations were measured in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) mainly on days one and six or seven of therapy. Serum concentrations were in the expected range. CSF concentrations depended on the inflammation of the meninges. On the first day of treatment they ranged from 0.5 to 7.2 to 12.0 microgram/ml. After normalisation of CSF no concentrations of mezlocillin were detectable.