Meningitis is defined as inflammation involving the meninges of the brain and spinal cord. Its caused mainly by meningococcus or pneumococcus bacteria. The bacteria and viruses that cause meningitis usually enter the body elsewhere and travel to the meninges through the bloodstream. The infection usually begins elsewhere in the body, usually in the lungs, and then travels through the bloodstream to the meninges where small abscesses called microtubercles are formed.
Meningitis is inflammation of the thin tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges. Meningitis is an uncommon infection that affects unstable membranes. Meningitis can occur when fluid surrounding the meninges becomes infected. Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the layer of tissue that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. Find out the symptoms and causes of bacterial meningitis and how to diagnose it and what treatments are available. Louis encephalitis virus from mosquitos in north america encephalitis viruses from ticks in mainland europe and asia. Bacterial meningitis is a severe infectious disease of the mem. Some of the most common causes of bacterial meningitis include neisseria meningitidis, streptococcus. Meningitis is a condition that causes inflammation in the meninges, which protect the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial infections cause the most severe type of meningitis. Diseases due to pathogens that spread between people, called infectious diseases, are not the only things that can cause meningitis. Some cases of meningitis are very serious, leading to permanent neurologic problems, amputation of limbs, loss of hearing, seizures or strokes, and even death. Meningitis is a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, the meninges. The causes of meningitis vary, although the most common causes are bacterial or viral infections, which you can catch by being around infected individuals through respiratory droplets.
Possible signs and symptoms in anyone older than the age of 2 include. Meningitis can occur at any age, but it has particularly virulence for babies and children. Tuberculous meningitis is very rare in the united states. Meningitis diagnostics use cases world health organization. Meningitis is most often caused by a virus or bacteria. The most common causes of meningitis are viral and bacterial infections. Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the meninges, which are the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, including the pia, arachnoid, and subarachnoid space, that occurs in response to infection with bacteria andor bacterial products.
Meningitis can be caused by many different pathogens including viruses and fungi but the highest global burden is seen with bacterial meningitis. In geriatric patients, frequently the only presenting sign of meningitis is confusion or an altered mental status 18. Meningitis about bacterial meningitis infection cdc. Causes of meningitis meningitis is almost always caused by a bacterial or viral infection that begins somewhere else in your body, like your ears, sinuses, or throat. Cerebral spinal fluid csf is the fluid within the open spaces of the brain that protect and cushion the brain and. Although anyone can get fungal meningitis, people with weakened immune systems, like those with hiv infection or cancer, are at higher risk the most common cause of fungal meningitis for people with weakened immune systems is cryptococcus. Meningitis is a devastating disease and remains a major public health challenge. This is normally caused by infection but can also have non. International and local guidelines differ with regard to initial empirical therapy of bacterial meningitis in adults. Other clues on the cause of meningitis may be the skin signs of hand, foot and. Meningitis is an inflammation of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord that can be caused by several different types of, as well as viruses and fungibacteria.
Chronic meningitis symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and. Infectious disease society of american idsa guidelines. However, permanent disabilities such as brain damage, hearing loss, and learning disabilities can result from the infection. Chronic meningitis is differentiated clinically from acute and subacute meningitis by an arbitrary time point of more than 4 weeks of clinical symptoms with evidence of a csf pleocytosis. About 1 in 10 people have these bacteria in the back of their nose and throat without being ill. For some causes of meningitis, protection can be provided in the long term through vaccination, or in the short term with antibiotics. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord. Viral meningitis is usually caused by enteroviruses, which live in fluids in the mouth and nose, and in faeces poo. Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges the covering of the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis can be caused by different germs, including bacteria, fungi. You can also get parasitic meningitis and meningitis from other causes, such as from cancer, tuberculosis, even chemicals, to name a few. Additionally, people with weak immune systems are more at risk for meningitis. West nile virus from mosquitos in certain parts of the americas, africa, west asia, australia, and mainland europe st. Bacterial meningitis is rare, but can be very serious if not treated. Steroidresponsive meningitisarteritis in dogs symptoms. Meningitis affects the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. This page describes some of thing things that can cause meningitis that do not spread from one person to another noninfectious. The bacteria spread to the brain and spine from another place in the body, usually the lung. Bacterial and viral meningitis are contagious, but neither is as contagious as the common cold or flu. Tuberculous meningitis is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Meningitis can be categorized as acute, subacute, or chronic based on duration of inflammation. While the approach will be a general one, i shall focus particularly on hse which is the most frequent cause of sporadic fatal encephalitis in humans in the western world. Diagnosis, initial management, and prevention of meningitis. Many different kinds of viruses and bacteria germs can. Meningitis occurs in people of all ages, but it is more common in children and people over 65. Viral meningitis is the most common form of meningitis and is caused by an infection with one of several types of viruses. Other types of infections can occur as well, and they are more likely among people who do not have healthy immune systems, although infectious meningitis can. Its typically mild and goes away without treatment. You get it when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels to the brain. Bacterial meningitis is a potentially catastrophic infectious disease associated with substantial mortality and a risk of permanent disability in survivors.
It is essential for clinicians to recognize the clinical signs and symptoms of meningitis and understand its management and prevention. Meningitis can be caused by infection from viruses and bacteria germs. Meningitis occurs when the meninges, the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, get inflamed or irritated. Together with sepsis, meningitis is estimated to cause more deaths in children under 5 years of age than malaria. Meningitis can be caused by infection from viruses. Usually, the brain is protected naturally from the bodys immune system by the barrier that the meninges create between the bloodstream and the brain itself. This article focuses on the most common causes of subacute and chronic meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but serious bacterial infection. This article will address three broad areas of viral encephalitisits causes, differential diagnosis, and management. In this regard, agerelated incidence of meningococcal and pneumococcal disease is inversely related to prevalence of serum bactericidal activity. Certain insects can also transmit viruses that cause meningitis, such as. These germs usually cause everyday illness, such as an ear infection or pneumonia. Meningitis occurs when the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. Although less common, it can also be caused by a fungal infection.
Selected viruses that can cause meningitis are summarized in the table the diagnostic approach to aseptic meningitis is presented separately. Most pathogenic microbes could potentially cause meningitis in the human brain. For some individuals, environmental exposure such as a parasite, recent travel, or an immunocompromised state such as hiv, diabetes, steroids, chemotherapy treatment are important risk factors. Viral meningitis is the most common and least serious type. Infectious causes of meningitis and encephalitis include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Meningitis is an outcome of certain bacteria or viruses entering the body when our immune system is weak. Chronic meningitis i s commonly defined as inflammation evolv. The most common are viruses and bacteria which account for the majority of cases. Acute bacterial meningitis ubc critical care medicine, vancouver.
More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of chronic meningitis is available below symptoms of chronic meningitis. Bacteria called neisseria meningitidis cause meningococcal disease. You get it when a virus enters the body through the nose or mouth and travels. Viral meningitis is a virusborne inflammation of the meninges, which are the. Normally, this helps prevent the body from mounting an immune reaction to attack itself. It causes the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed. Viral meningitis usually causes a milder form of meningitis and it most commonly affects children. The peripheral white blood cell count alone is not help.
Learn more about how you get meningitis, its symptoms, and how its treated at webmd. Chronic meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges with subacute onset and persisting cerebrospinal fluid csf abnormalities lasting for at least one month. Sometimes the bacteria invade the body and cause certain illnesses, which are known as meningococcal disease. Meningitis is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection that invades the cerebral spinal fluid csf. Causes of steroidresponsive meningitisarteritis in dogs the cause for steroidresponsive meningitisarteritis is not definitively known but there are concrete suspicions as to why it occurs due to constant research on the condition. It usually starts with bacteria that cause a coldlike infection. Tuberculous tb meningitis occurs when tuberculosis bacteria myobacterium tuberculosis invade the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is often caused by a viral infection but can also be due to a bacterial infection. Smoking, secondhand smoke and crowded living conditions also increase the risk for some kinds of. Viral meningitis is the most common form of meningitis. Find out about viral meningitis, the types of bacterial meningitis and the rarer types of meningitis such as chemical and fungal meningitis and the support we offer. Several different viruses and bacteria can cause meningitis, including. Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal.
The three types of meningitis most commonly heard of are bacterial, viral, and fungal. Typically, the adult who has acute bacterial meningitis seeks medical care within a few hours to several days after illness onset. Meningococcal meningitis is caused by the bacteria neisseria meningitidis, and causes a more severe disease that requires prompt treatment of the patient with antibiotics. Between 1998 and 2007, the overall annual incidence of bacterial meningitis in the united states decreased from 1 to 0.
415 1276 398 1063 879 735 719 1490 1035 584 135 20 1223 556 625 1299 1119 481 317 1464 993 1406 819 808 297 1392 890 190 878 1475 1105 441 504 812 468 838 1078 850 34 676 631 941 1109 897 1435 190