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
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com
|
