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Bacterial meningitis is a disease primarily affecting children two years of age or younger. The condition is rare in older children, who account for approximately four percent of all cases. An ll-year study was performed to review the characteristics of the disease in 25 previously healthy children who were six years of age or older. The most significant neurological symptoms were headache, altered consciousness, and neck pain. Other symptoms included nuchal rigidity (abnormal stiffness of the neck with pain and spasm on passive motion), lethargy, somnolence (sleepiness), petechiae (skin spots); less frequently noted were stupor or coma. Eleven of the patients had no fever when they were first examined. In the 22 patients who survived, any fever that was present responded to antibiotics, either immediately or within 48 hours. The organisms primarily responsible for the disease were Haemophilus influenzae type B (10 cases); Neisseria meningitides (9 cases) and streptococcus pneumoniae (6 cases). (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)