| Achoimre: | We read with interest the article in this Journal by Rufai et al., who describe the challenges of CSF diagnostics1. The febrile child can be a diagnostic challenge for healthcare professionals due to difficulty distinguishing between life-threatening bacterial sepsis and self-limiting viral infections on initial presentation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is often included in the workup of hospitalised febrile children due to the non-specific signs and symptoms of meningitis particularly in neonates and infants2. In the clinical microbiology laboratory, CSF is immediately processed for cell count, however culture and molecular tests can take 48 h to be completed. Pending the full diagnostic results, children are typically treated with broad spectrum antibiotics, with implications for antimicrobial stewardship, cost and patient experience.
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