N. Meningitis Research Paper

There are three different types of meningitis; viral, fungal, and bacterial meningitis. Although not as common as viral meningitis, bacterial meningitis is more likely to leave individuals with permanent disabilities. In children, disabilities can range from deafness, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy? the most common after effects. And in adults, septic shock, brain swelling, and hydrocephalus are most likely to occur if the disease advances without treatment within a sufficient time period. The three main bacteria responsible for bacterial meningitis are streptococcus pneumoniae, haemophilus influenza type B (Hib), and neisseria meningitidis.

A fatal microbial disease, commonly known as Meningococcal meningitis, can be scientifically referred to as any illness caused by the infectious Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. (SEE APPENDIX 3.0) The highest extended disease rate is located within the belt of sub-Saharan Africa, stretching within twenty-six countries from Senegal to Ethiopia. The infectious Meningococcal bacterium are transmitted through person to person contact; spread by exchanging respiratory and throat secretions, such as saliva or mucus, during intimate or neighbouring contact. These bacteria do not hold any animal reservoir and can only be transmitted from humans. Approximately one in ten people unknowingly have

The four most common causes of bacterial meningitis come from Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitides, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Listeria monocytogenes.

Meningococcal Meningitis is the infection and inflammation of the meninges. Newborns and infants are at greatest risk for contracting bacterial meningitis with Neisseria meningitides being the typical pathogen in the majority of children age 2 months through 12 years (London, Ladewig, Ball, Bindler, & Cowen, 2011). There is a mortality rate of 10% for children who develop meningitis from this particular bacterium (Muller, 2013).

Bacterial meningitis is the most common form of meningitis. Approximately 80% of all meningitis associated cases are bacterial, the disease is the critical reason for increasing morbidity rates in young children under the age group of one year. In the last 20 years (1991–2010) close to one million suspected meningitis cases were reported in the UK and in the US. [8] [5] The ‘meninges’ is the name for the three membranes that envelope the brain and cord (the central nervous system). Bacterial meningitis is caused by three different bacteria’s: Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningitidis, and the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. The bacteria spreads across the spinal cord and optic nerves, within the bacteria it 's fluid contents, the cerebrospinal fluid. The excessive manifestation of bacteria and their toxins within these areas, results in an inflammation of the cranial or spinal structures. This inflammation will consequence in severe damage to the nervous system and brain structures unless treated. Due to the nature of the meninges and the cerebrospinal fluid, an infection of any area of the system can rapidly spread to the rest of the system In this review I will discuss the epidemiology and pathogenesis of bacterial meningitis in young children and its subsequent clinical diagnosis of effective vaccines.[2]

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

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

Bacterial Meningitis affects the nervous system by causing inflammation of a trio of membranes known as the Meninges that are situated around the brain and spinal cord. It 's a disease that is slowly but surely being defeated worldwide with mortality rates falling from 464,000 deaths in 1990 to 303,000 in 2013[3]. Common symptoms throughout the period of an infection include; headaches, vomiting, fever, neck stiffness and an altered mental state. The severity of symptoms can depend on the species of bacteria that caused the infection. Due to recent medical advancements the rates of mortality have fallen considerably in the developed world, however meningitis is still prevalent in less economically developed countries. In this document I will be describing the various inner workings of the disease, but more specifically, it 's pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and preventative methods, furthermore I shall also be focusing more on the prevalence of the disease in the UK, as opposed to other locations. [1]

The disease give off a toxin in the life cycle of bacteria after it life span has ended and it has quickly multiplied. The toxin which is emitted is so deadly, it rapidly kills tissues surrounding the areas where the highest concentrations of the bacteria is located. Oddly, when the bacteria is treated with an antibiotic, it produces more toxin because a greater number of bacteria are being killed. Though historically the meningococcal disease has been known to only attack and the very young. There are now more and more cases of the disease appearing in the “young adult” crowd. These would be at the roughly college age.

      Symptoms of meningitis are similar to those of the flu and are therefore easy to overlook. People with meningitis complain of symptoms such as headaches, fevers, stiff necks, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light. Some people develop a rash. Meningitis, if left untreated can spread quickly. It can spread throughout your entire body, and eventually lead to death within mere days, hours, of getting infected. It is important to seek treatment as soon as you think you might have Meningitis.

Viral meningitis is more common, but not nearly as severe (8). It is hardly ever fatal and mostly caused by enteroviruses. Other viruses can induce a person to contract viral meningitis. These include: mumps, herpes, measles, and varicella-zoster. Even an infection from a mosquito bite could potentially turn into a case of viral meningitis (4)! Fungal meningitis, which can also be deadly, is mostly caused by Cryptococcus and Candida. The people affected with fungal meningitis are mostly those who have an inadequate immune system (3).

Non-Infectious Meningitis can occur as well and still have the same symptoms as the other three types of this disease. Non-infectious means no bacteria, virus, or fungi had any relevance or significance in the result in this specific type of disease. A cause in non-infectious meningitis can be the result in carcinomatosis, the wide spread of cancer throughout the body. Drinking contaminated water that could possibly contain parasites could result in this type of disease and do shocking things to the body and central nervous system. Anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics have been seen to cause non-infectious meningitis along with a head injury, brain surgery, or even a skull defect at birth. All of these non-infectious causes could eventually lead to an infection of the meninges or cerebral spinal fluid.

This condition is most commonly caused by a viral infection (less threatening), although bacteria and fungal infections as well as toxins or parasites can also lead to meningitis (McCance & Huether, 609). The type of treatment depends on the causative agent; meningitis may go away on its own or require treatment with antibiotics. Clinical manifestations of meningitis, according to the textbook are as follows: inflammation and irritation- generalized meningeal signs, throbbing headache, photophobia (light sensitivity); local tissue dysfunction- cranial nerve palsies, focal neurologic deficits (hemiparesis/hemiplegia, ataxia), and seizures; mass effect- decreased level of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, and increased intracranial pressure; and lastly, vascular compromise (McCance and Huether, 612). Systematic effects of this condition are increased intracranial pressure (ICP), disruption of the blood brain barrier (a defense mechanism) which can exacerbate infection, interference or blockage of CSF (cerebral spinal fluid), cerebral edema, intracranial hypertension and decreased cranial blood flow. If the condition gets too serious, paralysis, hearing loss, ataxia (loss of muscle coordination, mainly in the extremities), cerebral atrophy, and hydrocephalus (“water

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.

There are four pounds of bacteria on and in your body and three-hundred different types of bacteria on a dollar bill.