- Meningitis
- Literally means an inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord, called the meninges, but is often used to describe a disease involving those areas.
- Meningitis, spinal
- Is an inflammation solely of the spinal cord without involving the brain.
- Meningitis, aseptic or viral meningitis
- Is a term used to describe viral meningitis when the cerebrospinal fluid does not yield a positive microbial culture, and often follows an attack of mumps or one of the picornaviruses.
- Meningitis, cocci
- Is a form of coccidioidomycosis that attacks the lining of the brain.
- Meningitis, bacterial
- Results when specific bacteria, from other diseased areas of the body, migrate to the meninges. Three pathogens are responsible for bacterial meningitis: Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), and Haemophilus influenza of the Pittman type B. H. influenza accounts for about 80% of all the meningitis cases.
Newborns are particularly vulnerable to meningitis caused by the Lancefield group B streptococci, coliform bacteria, and Listeria monocytogenes. Meningitis caused by H. influenzae typically occurs in those six months to two years of age, with more than two-thirds of all cases involving children under five years of age. Older children and young adults are more prone to the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, especially if they live in overcrowded conditions. People of any age can be victims of meningitis caused by S. pneumoniae.
All bacterial pathogens causing meningitis have a capsule that acts as a virulence factor. In newborns, the diagnosis can be difficult as they often do not show the classic signs of meningitis and are often tagged with a “failure to thrive” label. They can have a fever, but, just as often, can be hypothermic. Until 1992, most were infected with Haemophilus influenzae type b, which is usually shortened to H. flu or Hib. Now, the most common and serious types of bacterial meningitis are the result of Pneumococcal meningitis and meningococcal meningitis.
The bacteria responsible for meningitis enters the body through the nose, with disease occurring only when the bacteria leave the respiratory tract and travel through the bloodstream to the meninges. The transmission of the disease most often comes from healthy people who carry the bacteria as part of their normal flora in the nose and throat. These people pass on the bacteria through coughing, sneezing, kissing, and sharing food/drinks/containers/toothbrushes, etc. Interestingly, more boys than girls contract the disease. Adding to the confusion of a diagnosis, bacterial meningitis can come on suddenly or gradually. The gradual-type is harder to diagnose because it mimics other mild childhood illnesses. The sudden-type usually develops within twenty-four hours after exposure, and often signals a sicker child. Typical symptoms include the classic signs of headache and stiff neck. Nausea, vomiting, and fever often accompany those symptoms. Other symptoms can include a sensitivity to light and pain when the eyes are moved from side to side.
Pneumococcal bacteria are circular-shaped and groups itself into pairs. This bacterium is also the cause of middle ear infections, pneumonia, and sinusitis, and has more than eighty different strains. The bacterium is often a part of the normal flora of the nose and throat, and is usually spread by those who are asymptomatic of any disease. Incubation takes about a month after the bacterium enters the respiratory tract.
In determining if a rash is one that may indicate meningitis, this piece of advice comes from the Meningitis Research Foundation: “If a glass tumbler is pressed firmly against a rash, and the rash will not fade, but can be seen through the glass, a doctor must be called immediately.”
