meningitidis can cause are meningococcemia (defined as a blood infection due to N. meningitidis), pneumonia, septic arthritis, pericarditis, and urethritis. N. meningitidis can also cause both endemic and epidemic infections and can even infect young, healthy adults.

Penicillin G interferes with synthesis of cell wall mucopeptide during active multiplication, resulting in bactericidal activity against susceptible microorganisms. Treat suspected meningococcal disease with a high dose in the initial 48 hours of therapy because meningitis is a likely complication.

Although N meningitidis remains one of the few bacteria causing serious infections for which penicillin is still routinely recommended, evidence of the development of resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics used in the management of me- ningococcal disease is now mounting.

Currently, a third-generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone or cefotaxime) is the drug of choice for the treatment of meningococcal meningitis and septicemia. Penicillin G, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolone, and aztreonam are alternatives therapies (IDSA guidelines).

Doctors treat meningococcal disease with a number of antibiotics. It is important that treatment start as soon as possible. If a doctor suspects meningococcal disease, they will give the patient antibiotics right away. Antibiotics help reduce the risk of dying.

Meningococcal infections are caused by a group of bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis. The most common forms of meningococcal infections include meningitis (infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord) and blood stream infections. Meningococcal infections are rare and may be serious.

Common symptoms of meningococcal meningitis include sudden fever, headache, and stiff neck. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light, and confusion. Children and infants may show different signs and symptoms, such as inactivity, irritability, vomiting, or poor reflexes.

Symptoms

• rash of red or purple pinprick spots, or larger bruise-like areas.
• fever.
• headache.
• neck stiffness.
• discomfort when you look at bright light.
• nausea or vomiting.
• diarrhoea.
• feeling very, very sick.

These steps can help prevent meningitis:

1. Wash your hands. Careful hand-washing helps prevent the spread of germs.
2. Practice good hygiene. Don’t share drinks, foods, straws, eating utensils, lip balms or toothbrushes with anyone else.
3. Stay healthy.
4. Cover your mouth.
5. If you’re pregnant, take care with food.

Who is at risk?

• Adolescents and young adults*
• Infants less than one year old.
• People living in crowded settings like college dorms or military barracks.
• Those with persistent complement component deficiency or anatomic or functional asplenia.

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis can appear quickly or over several days. Typically they develop within 3 to 7 days after exposure. Later symptoms of bacterial meningitis can be very serious (e.g., seizures, coma). For this reason, anyone who thinks they may have meningitis should see a doctor as soon as possible.

Viral meningitis (when meningitis is caused by a virus) is the most common type of meningitis. Most people get better on their own without treatment. However, anyone with symptoms of meningitis should see a doctor right away because any type of meningitis can be serious.

Complications

• memory and. concentration problems.
• balance and. coordination problems.
• temporary or. permanent learning difficulties.
• partial or total. vision loss.
• sleep disorders, such. as insomnia.
• speech problems.
• epilepsy.
• gangrene.

There are actually five types of meningitis — bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal, and non-infectious — each classified by the cause of the disease.

How long does viral meningitis last? Most people who get sick with viral meningitis usually feel better completely in seven to ten days.

Spinal meningitis is an infection of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Once infection starts, it can spread rapidly through the body. Without treatment it can cause brain damage in a matter of hours and can be fatal within 24 hours.

The stiff neck due to meningitis is more than just sore. Trying to lower the chin to the chest causes pain and may be impossible. Moving the head in other directions is not as difficult. However, some people do not have a stiff neck, and some have back pain.

High fever: Fever can be above 100 degrees (sometimes even above 103 degrees). Back pain: Back pain caused by meningitis is typically made worse when you bend your legs close to your chest in a fetal position, though it can also be exacerbated by any change in position and it may be present all the time.

The meningitis glass test

1. Press the side of a clear glass firmly against the skin.
2. Spots/rash may fade at first.
3. Keep checking.
4. Fever with spots/rash that do not fade under pressure is a medical emergency.
5. Do not wait for a rash. If someone is ill and getting worse, get medical help immediately.

It leads to broken blood vessels, and they can resemble a rash, which doctors call a petechial rash. In babies and adults, a meningitis rash may look like the following: tiny red, pink, brown, or purple pinprick marks (petechiae) on the skin. purple bruise-like marks.

A headache caused by meningitis is typically described as severe and unrelenting. It does not subside by taking an aspirin. Stiff neck. This symptom most commonly involves a reduced ability to flex the neck forward, also called nuchal rigidity.

Meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours – know the symptoms. The first symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell. Limb pain, pale skin, and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion.

Conclusion: The study showed that CT Scan is a useful investigation in the definitive/final diagnosis of brain infection.

The CT scan is a valuable tool in diagnosing meningitis. The contrast dye that is injected during the test can highlight brain, skull, and sinus inflammation- all complications and signs of meningitis.

Symptoms of a brain abscess

• headache – which is often severe, located in a single section of the head and cannot be relieved with painkillers.
• changes in mental state – such as confusion or irritability.
• problems with nerve function – such as muscle weakness, slurred speech or paralysis on one side of the body.

Encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, which can be caused by either bacteria or virus. Meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, which can be caused by either bacteria or virus. HIV, a viral infection that causes AIDS and gradually destroys the body’s immune system.

Bacteria and other infectious organisms can reach the brain and meninges in several ways: By being carried by the blood. By entering the brain directly from the outside (for example, through a skull fracture or during surgery on the brain) By spreading from nearby infected structures, such as the sinuses or middle ear.

Type: Organisms may cause bacterial, viral, parasitic, fungal, or prion infections of the central nervous system. Usually, viral meningitis causes milder symptoms, requires no specific treatment, and goes away completely without complications.