Until the early twentieth century the prognosis for patients with acute bacterial meningitis was dismal. Since then, improvements in public health, the discovery of effective antimicrobial agents, the implementation of childhood vaccination programmes and the development of highly specialised acute care facilities have had a dramatic impact on the mortality and morbidity associated with this disease.1 The duration of antibiotic therapy for patients with bacterial meningitis has often been based more on tradition than on data.2 Potentially, shorter courses of antibiotic therapy would decrease the duration of hospitalisation, the number of adverse events and healthcare costs and could …