Epidemiology and etiology of community-acquired CNS infections in Iran: a narrative review

CNS infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The epidemiology of CNS infections shows striking differences in geographic regions. We reviewed the literature on clinico-epidemiological features of community-acquired CNS infections in Iran. Our review highlighted that the causes of CNS infections in Iran are diverse but information regarding the epidemiology and precise estimates of the burden of disease are lacking for most neuroinfections. Enteroviruses, S. pneumoniae, and Klebsiella species are the most commonly reported causes of viral, bacterial, and neonatal meningitis, respectively, whereas neurotuberculosis and neurobrucellosis place a huge burden. Improving the national surveillance system and implementing a nationwide data registry system for CNS infections are necessary to provide practically useful information regarding the microbial spectrum and the burden of CNS infections to suggest optimal preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies.