Meningitis
See Also:
Meningitis:
Introduction
Meningitis: Types
Meningitis:
Causes & Risk Factors
Meningitis: Signs
& Symptoms
Meningitis: Medical
Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Meningitis:
Treatment Options
Meningitis:
Prevention Methods
Types
There are 4 types of meningitis which are classified
by the causal agent. These 4 types of meningitis include:
Viral Meningitis:
Viral meningitis is more common then bacterial and
generally less serious. The most common cause of viral
meningitis is coxsackie and echovirus (also called
enterovirus). Meningitis may also develop due to
infection of measles, polio, chickenpox viruses or
because of complications due to mumps (6).
Bacterial Meningitis:
Various types of bacterial meningitis include:
Meningococcal:
One of the most common causes of bacterial
meningitis universally is meningococcal bacterium
occurring in five groups namely – A, B, C,
W135 and Y. The bacteria live in the back of
nose, throat or upper respiratory tract. About
10-25 percent of the population is a carrier of
these bacteria without being affected at any
given point of time (7).
Meningococcal Septicemia:
The meningococcal bacterium is also the causal
agent for Meningococcal septicemia. The
meningococcus infects the meninges by entering
through the blood stream. The bacterium
multiplies in the blood stream simultaneously
releasing toxins, thus poisoning the blood
(septicemia). The septicemia is a medical
emergency with fatality rates as high as 20
percent (8).
Pneumococcal Meningitis:
Pneumococcus or Streptococcus pneumonia causes
this types of meningitis. People of any age
group, especially babies and children under the
age of 18 months, are susceptible to infection by
this type of meningitis. Elderly people with a
defective immune system are also at risk of being
infected (9).
Hib Meningitis:
The causal agent for this of meningitis is
Haemophilus influenzae type B, generally
affecting infants (10).
TB Meningitis:
The bacterium bacillus tubercle causes this type
of meningitis. Normally elderly people and those
with “…underlying TB
infection” are susceptible to this type
of infection. Usually lungs are infected first
and later it travels to brain through blood
stream (11).
Neonatal Meningitis:
Meningitis affecting the new-born babies is
called neonatal meningitis. Premature babies are
at a greater risk and fatality rates are as high
as 20%. Escherichia coli and B streptococcal
bacteria i.e., Streptococcus agalactiae cause
neonatal meningitis (12).
Fungal Meningitis:
Fungal meningitis is rare and caused by Cryptococcus
(Cryptococcus neoformans). Generally, immuno-compromised
patients such as those suffering from AIDS and leukemia
are most susceptible to this type of meningitis (13).
Amoebic Meningitis:
It is a very rare and very serious illness often leading
to death of the patient. The infection is caused by
amoeba living in geothermal pools and stagnating pools of
fresh water at temperatures of 30º C (14).
See Also:
Meningitis:
Introduction
Meningitis: Types
Meningitis:
Causes & Risk Factors
Meningitis: Signs
& Symptoms
Meningitis: Medical
Tests & Diagnosis Methods
Meningitis:
Treatment Options
Meningitis:
Prevention Methods
Meningitis is sometimes misspelled as: menengitis,
menigitis, menegitis, meningitus, menangitis, menningitis
and mengitis.
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com
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