Pulmonary tuberculosis with meningitis in a 7-month-old infant

Tuberculous meningitis is the most serious form of tuberculosis and carries a high mortality and morbidity despite the availability of effective chemotherapeutic agents. Poor response to therapy or death is often due to failure to begin appropriate therapy in the early stages of the disease. We report a rare case of tuberculous meningitis in a 7-month old infant following unsuccessful vaccination and close exposure to adult uncle who died from pulmonary tuberculosis when she was 3 months old. The described case points out serious possibility of pulmonary tuberculosis with meningitis in non-vaccinated or unsuccessfully vaccinated children and importance of the chemoprophylaxis in infants who were exposed to tuberculous infection, as well as early discovery and treatment of illness.