Background: Differentiating bacterial and viral meningitis is crucial, and this study explored the potential of mean platelet volume (MPV) as a marker for differentiation.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients with central nerve system related manifestations, and MPV was tested. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were obtained and bacterial culture and the FilmArray ME panel were performed. The distribution of MPV was compared between groups.
Results: The study included 8 patients in the bacterial meningitis group and 12 patients in the viral meningitis group. The bacterial meningitis group showed a significantly higher median MPV of 10.9 (9.2 - 11.6) fL compared to the viral meningitis group with 8.4 (8.1 - 8.8) fL (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: MPV could serve as a diagnostic indicator to differentiate between bacterial and viral meningitis. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings.