Ongoing data collection
Bacterial meningitis is a severe infection of the membranes surrounding the brain in which both the bacteria and the patient’s immune response contribute to damage of the brain. Despite treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory therapy (dexamethasone), still one in five patients dies and half of the survivors have neurological sequelae.
The neuro-infections research group of Amsterdam UMC has an ongoing nationwide prospective cohort study since 2006 in which currently over 2500 patients have been included. From these patients we collect clinical data, DNA, blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples, and DNA. Furthermore, we collect the bacteria isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid and analyse the bacterial DNA as well. Finally, in patients who died from bacterial meningitis we study the brain to get a detailed analysis of the disease process.
Translational research
By combining the information from the patient and bacteria we aim to dissect the harmful interaction between host and pathogen in bacterial meningitis leading to brain damage and eventually death. Blocking these harmful mechanisms is thought to reduce the disease severity and improve outcome.
In a translational research design, we start with the patients’ materials to perform genetic analysis, extensive measurements of gene expression and protein levels, and brain pathology analysis. In a next step, we perform experimental studies to validate these findings in an experimental setting using cell lines experiments and a zebra fish embryo model. In these models we can study the effect of new treatments, which we subsequently test in patients in a randomized clinical trial.
