Common Causes Of Bacterial Meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is the swelling of the meninges. In the back of the brain, there are three protective membranes called the meninges (Mandal). During bacterial meningitis, bacteria invade the brain. This causes the immune system to enter and try to stop the disease (Mandal). In doing so, the meninges swell to stop the spread the virus, but this unfortunately causes damage to the brain and spinal area (Mandal). A person would get bacterial meningitis if their body was invaded by some of the germs that can cause it.

Meningococcal disease is a disease that can be found worldwide. Meningococcal disease refers to any disease or illness that is caused by the type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitides, also called meningococcus (Meningococcal disease, 2015). The first documented outbreak was over two hundred years ago in Geneva in 1805 which circulated rapidly and killed thirty three people. The first case ever recorded in America was in 1806 in Medford, Massachusetts (Fredericks, n.d.). A European physician, Professor A Weichselbaum, discovered the cause of the mysterious cerebro-spinal meningitis illness in 1887 and Penicillin was the first antibiotic used to fight the disease. In 1978 the first

Neisseria meningitidis is a fastidious, aerobic, and encapsulated gram-negative diplococcus which infects humans via droplet transmission to and from mucosal surfaces in the nasopharyngeal region. Only humans can be infected with N. meningitidis and the disease manifests in children under two years of age and in young adults. N. meningitidis can be found as normal regional flora of the nasopharynx in some individuals, but when it causes infection leads to meningitis and occasionally septicaemia. The major symptoms of N. meningitidis infection include a stiff neck, high fever, photophobia, confusion, cephalgia and emesis. If the patient’s condition has worsened causing sepsis, they can present with a haemorrhagic rash which is indicative of

Meningitis can be destructive without proper understanding of what it is caused by. There are three types of meningitis- bacterial, fungal, and viral. Contrasting factors tend to arise during a comparison of them. One of the most notable areas that viral, fungal and bacterial meningitis differ in are their treatment ability. However, they have the same general affects on the human body. In any case, there are tests that doctors can utilize in order to discover if the meningitis is bacterial, fungal, or viral.

N. meningitides bacterium responsible for outbreaks in densely populated areas such as childcare centers, boarding schools, or college living areas (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, & Cheever, 2010). These outbreaks are most common in winter and spring months when risk factors like upper respiratory infections are more likely (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, & Cheever, 2010). Immunosuppression must be present for this pathogen to invade. Other risk factors for meningitis are otitis media (middle ear infection), mastoiditis (mastoid bone infection) (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, & Cheever, 2010), systemic sepsis, sinusitis (sinus infection), basilar skull fractures, and the very young and the very old (Porth & Matfin, 2009).

In 1805 there was an outbreak of an unknown disease that was infecting most the people of a small town in Switzerland. A Swiss physician named Gaspard Viesseux was the first to determine the outbreak, which was Meningococcal Meningitis. Viesseux was the first to study Meningococcal Meningitis however a pathologist named Anton Weichselbaum discovered the causative, or the bacteria, that causes meningitis. The disease could potentially fatal, especially if not treated.

The main organisms are Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumonae may also be involved.

Variety of agents can cause bacterial meningitis. Since the introduction of new vaccine (Hib and PCV7), the pathogens responsible have changed. Presently, S. pneumaniae and Neisseria meningitidis are the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children between 3 months and 19 years of age and Neisseria meningitidis is the leading cause in children between 10 and 19 years. The causative pathogen differs in children between 1 and 3 months. The leading cause of neonatal meningitis is group B streptococci about 39% and gram negative bacilli 32% (Nigrovic, Kupperman, and Malley, 2008)

Prognosis wise, early treatment dramatically increases survival rates; as statistics disclose that 10-15% of Meningococcal victims die – with reports adamant that young children and adults over 50 have an increased chance of death (NMA, 2014). Medical attention must be sort to immediately as soon as Meningococcal symptoms arise so that blood samples can be made. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that “diagnosis is usually made by growing bacteria from a sample of blood or spinal fluid” – the Lumbar puncture technique. If the bacterium is found in samples, antibiotics are usually a preliminary option of treatment. Antibiotics, which are not usually employed to viral or fungal infections, aim to deter the impact of bacterial infections (Illinois Department of Public Health, 2007). Vaccinations of Meningococcal are dependent on its comparative strain; there are 13 strains of Meningococcal globally. In Australia the most prominent is strain B. B vaccine Bexsero is prescribed to combat the effects of Meningococcal but is also used a preventative measure for immunisation purposes (Australian Department of Health, 2015). However, the B vaccine Bexsero and other antibiotics may prove to be ineffective if administered after the pathogens have damaged the brain and spinal cord (CDC, 2015). Conversely, prevention is far more straight forward: avoid

There are multiple different types of bacteria that can cause bacterial meningitis, which were discovered in the late 19th century. These bacteria’s are Streptococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Haemophilus influenza. (1) Russian physician Vladimir Kernig and Polish physician Jozef Brudzinski both separately found other symptoms of meningitis this leading to the Kernig’s sign and the Brudzinski sign.

Meningococcal disease is a life serious and life-threatening infection that is a problem amongst children and young adults. The infection is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis which is a gram negative β proteobacterium with a distinct diplcoccus morphology. This bacteria is an obligate human bacterial pathogen that normally resides in the human nasopharynx making humans the only natural reservoir. It can also be transmitted from person to person by close contact such as kissing or the simple sharing of a beverage. In most cases the bacteria doesn’t infect the host and will rarely lead to an invasive disease but factors such as the lack of immune defenses can alter this pattern. Neisseria meningitidis is the cause of the majority of cases of meningitis in the United States with children and young adults having the most impact. The United States alone sees 800-1500 cases annually. Worldwide, there are 1.2 million cases of meningococcal infections per year with a death toll of ~135,000. The rates of disease occur most frequently in newborns and children under 1 years of age. The number of incidences will decline and peak again between the ages of 15 and 25. This disease is found worldwide and has the most impact in sub-Saharan Africa where treatment isn’t readily available.

Streptococcus Pneumoniae, more often called S. Pneumoniae or Pneumococcus, is a significant human pathogenic bacterium. A normal inhabitant of the upper respiratory tract, approximately 1 in 4 people carries the bacteria asymptomatically. Education on what illnesses the bacteria can cause, the signs and symptoms of the bacteria, who is the most at risk for infection along with how it is transmitted, and possible treatments are crucial to understanding the bacteria and helping to stop the spread.

Neisseria meningitidis is found in people’s nose and throat of about 10 percent of the population. This bacteria can get into the blood and the brain and cause severe illness. When the bacteria is found in the blood it can cause sepsis, an infection. When it is found in the brain it can cause meningitis, which is the swelling of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

Meningococcal disease is a large concern in the medical field because it is unbiased towards the patients it infects. There has been limited success in trying to eliminate this disease. Antibiotics play a role in helping to treat patients with bacterial meningitis, and steroids have been tested to help reduce risk factors. Prevention has also become a key issue because meningitis can only be spread through direct contact with infected body fluid. The best prevention is to maintain clean hygiene. Vaccines are another way of preventing disease. However, there are multiple serogroups of meningitis that makes creating a universal vaccine extremely difficult. So far, there have only been two

The pathogens that cause meningitis are known as meningococcal bacteria and streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria which affects babies and young children because their immune system is