There are three types of pathogens that cause meningitis. The first type of pathogen is Haemophilus influenzae type b. It is an aerobic gram-negative bacteria, meaning they have relatively thin cell walls and can be resistant to antibiotic treatment. In 95% of invasive diseases are caused by type b. Before the introduction of a vaccine, it was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis most common in infants. The organism colonizes in the nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose) and can sometimes invade the bloodstream and cause infection at a distant site.
Neisseria meningitides is a bacteria that causes meningoccal disease. It is aerobic, Gram-negative bacteria that causes serious, sometimes fatal, infection
…show more content…
An MRI indicated inflammation of sulci, a groove in the brain, vascular congestion and cortical edema or fluid on the brain. A spinal tap was obtained from the patient and because of possible pneumococcal meningitis, an intravenous therapy with a combination of a steroid and antibiotics. Streptococcus suis was identified and the patient was asked about any recent contact with swine. For several weeks, he had been slaughtering, by hand, several non- commercially raised pigs for a luau. And although he did not recall any mucosal exposure to the pig blood or secretions, there is no known route for infection to humans. He did not wear any type of protective gear, i.e., gloves, apron or facemask. His exposure to pigs blood, skin and organs was extensive. During the slaughter process, his hands sustained multiple cuts. It is possible that the bacteria entered through those cuts as no other church members who participated in the preparation became ill. Treatment of ceftrixone and a 4-day course of dexmathasone was prescribed and his headache improved. He was discharged after 6 days and given a 2- week course of IV ceftrixone. After 1 day of discharge, he was affected again by headaches accompanied by a mild hearing loss. After a repeat spinal tap was administered, it was concluded that the headache was a result of residual meningeal/cerebral edema (swelling) that resolved
Neisseria meningitidis, also known as meningococcus, is a human pathogen that causes severe infections in the menings that surround the brain and spinal cord. There is a 50% fatality rate if the infections are not treated on time. (1)
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.
Group B Streptococcus agalactiae is an important Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that cause a wide variety of clinical infections, ranging from septicemia to meningitis. The reported lethality of severe S. agalactiae infections is ranging from 4 to 6% in the United States. Of note, it has been suggested that the incidence of neonatal disease is considerably greater than reported, because the requirement for positive cultures from blood or cerebrospinal fluid may underestimates the true burden of disease. Therefore, in this review I focused on virulence factors of S. agalactiae in order to elucidate aspects of the infection.
Streptococcus Pyogenes is a very diverse bacteria with effects ranging from nothing or a mild sore throat, to flesh eating disease, causing death in 40-60% of patients. The major and most common illnesses associated with this bacteria
One of the four different types of meningitis is bacterial meningitis. Neisseria meningitides is a bacterium that is seen to be the main cause of bacterial meningitis. There are multiple forms of this type of bacterium; therefore more than on strain exists of this
Meningitis is a serious infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by meningococcal disease, which is contracted by 1,000 to 2,600 people yearly in the United States. Meningococcal disease is also serious, with one in ten cases leading to
The patient was seen on June 1, 2015 secondary to vertigo. These symptoms did resolve completely.
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.
Acharya, T (2013, June 9). Virulence factors produced by Neisseria meningitidis and their role in pathogenesis Retrieved from
Herpes encephalitis is an infection of the cerebrum by herpes simplex virus 1. This can cause hemorrhagic necrosis of the temporal lobes leading to RBCs in the CSF, along with seizures and psychiatric symptoms. A CT scan of the head will reveal the temporal lobe abnormalities. With viral infections, lumbar puncture will reveal a slightly elevated opening pressure (above 180-mmH2O), around 100–1,000 lymphocytes, normal CSF glucose, and increased proteins. In this case, empiric therapy should be started before CT due to the poor prognosis of the disease and permanent neurological damage that may rapidly develop. Its incidence has a bimodal distribution, peaking in childhood and middle-aged adults (as seen in this case). The involvement of the temporal lobes is thought to be due to the virus having access to this area via the branches of the olfactory
Also, contraction is very possible through the skin via abrasions both small and large. This type of infection would be contracted from exposure to other people harboring the bacteria, bacteria in the air, or bacteria on the injured person. Being infected this way can rarely result in necrotizing fasciitis. It is also very possible, albeit very rare, that Streptococcus pyogenes can be transmitted through food, most notably milk and its products. This form of infection is usually caused by improper or lack of pasteurization of the milk. The bacteria that are responsible hardly ever come from an outside source, and are usually present within the cow when infected milk is produced. However, these two other methods of transmission are far less likely than the usual human-to-human respiratory infections. (6,2,1)
Meningitis is the inflammation of brain and spinal cord membranes and is caused by either a viral infection or bacterial infection. Bacterial meningitis is a dangerous disease and can result in mental and sensory deficits. There are some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious, but is not spread through casual contact. According to the CDC, there are several causative agents of bacterial meningitis and each pathogen is more prevalent in different age groups. But scientists have found treatments and vaccines in hope of prevention.
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.
In the case of bacterial meningitis no one casual organism causes all of the cases, but rather
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