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Meningitis: Meningococcal Meningitis
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Meningitis can ... be classified according to etiology. Acute bacterial meningitis denotes a bacterial cause of this syndrome. This is usually characterized by an acute onset of meningeal symptoms and neutrophilic pleocytosis. Depending on the specific bacterial cause, the syndrome may be called, for example, Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis, meningococcal meningitis, or Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. Fungal and parasitic causes of meningitis are also termed according to their specific etiologic agent, such as cryptococcal meningitis, Histoplasma meningitis, and amebic meningoencephalitis.
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Meningitis is a disease of the meninges, a membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord like a sheath. It is caused by either a bacterial or viral germ; Neisseria meningitidis, commonly called meningococcus, is the only bacterium that causes epidemics. It invades the tissues of the nose and throat and eventually reaches the brain. The normally clear fluid that surrounds the brain quickly becomes cloudy and more viscous, increasing the pressure within the skull. The fatality rate of meningococcal meningitis is 50% when untreated.
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Meningitis caused by a bacterial infection (sometimes called spinal meningitis) is one of the most serious types, sometimes leading to permanent brain damage or even death. Bacterial meningitis is most commonly caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcal meningitis), Streptococcus pneumoniae, or Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (H. flu meningitis). These bacteria are carried in the upper back part of the throat (called the nasopharynx) of an infected person and are spread either through the air (when the person coughs or sneezes organisms into the air) or by direct contact with secretions from the nasopharynx of the infected person. However, transmission usually occurs only after very close contact with the infected person.
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Meningitis often appears with flu-like symptoms that develop over 1-2 days. Distinctive rashes are typically seen in some forms of the disease. Meningococcal meningitis may be associated with kidney and adrenal gland failure and shock.
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Meningitis is not caused by just one organism; there is bacterial meningitis, viral meningitis, and meningitis caused by other organisms. This article is about bacterial meningitis, and particularly meningococcal meningitis, because it is currently the most common type of meningitis that causes serious disease and can produce outbreaks. Viral meningitis is more common overall, but it does not usually cause serious disease and most patients recover completely at home.
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Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. Several different bacteria can cause meningitis and Neisseria meningitidis is one of the most important because of its potential to cause epidemics. Meningococcal disease was first described in 1805 when an outbreak swept through Geneva, Switzerland. The causative agent, Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus), was identified in 1887.
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Meningococcal Meningitis