Dr Bonadio has combined outcome data from four prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials assessing the effect of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy on the outcome of bacterial meningitis in children treated with a third-generation cephalosporin. Similar to the previously published meta-analysis included in the article by Schaad et al, Dr Bonadio's analysis includes all etiologies of bacterial meningitis without clarifying whether a beneficial effect applies to particular bacterial species. Fifty-two to 82% of cases in each of the trials were comprised of Haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterial species that is now a rare cause of meningitis in the United States.
