Introduction - Nosocomial meningitis is a serious and rare infection; reporting of such cases has been mandatory since August 2001 for all healthcare facilities, whether public or private. Methods - Reports of these infections received by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance between August 2001 and December 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. Results - Of 3,110 reports, 26 involved isolated cases of meningitis following an invasive procedure on the spine, most often during anesthesia for surgery or obstetric care. The causative microorganisms were predominantly commensal bacteria from the skin or oropharyngeal mucosa. Two deaths related to the infection occurred. In 12 cases, failure to wear a mask was reported, and in seven cases, skin preparation was deemed inadequate. Two cases in the same facility were linked to the same healthcare worker. Discussion - The rarity of these infections makes it difficult to explain with certainty the mechanism(s) by which they occur. However, data from the nosocomial infection reporting system show that these infections are serious, occur primarily in patients without underlying risk factors for infection, and that most are preventable by strictly adhering to existing hygiene recommendations. (R.A.)