Acute bacterial meningitis must be treated immediately with intravenous antibiotics and sometimes corticosteroids. This helps to ensure recovery and reduce the risk of complications, such as brain swelling and seizures. The antibiotic or combination of antibiotics depends on the type of bacteria causing the infection.
What is the choice treatment for meningococcal meningitis?
Penicillin is the drug of choice for the treatment of meningococcal meningitis and septicemia. Chemoprophylactic antimicrobials most commonly used to eradicate meningococci include rifampin, quinolones (eg, ciprofloxacin), ceftriaxone. Also included in this class are minocycline and spiramycin.
How is a meningitis outbreak treated?
A range of antibiotics is used to treat meningitis, including penicillin, ampicillin, and ceftriaxone. During epidemics of meningococcal and pneumococcal meningitis, ceftriaxone is the drug of choice.
What is the meningitis Triad?
The classic triad of meningitis consists of fever, nuchal rigidity, and altered mental status, but not all patients have all three, and almost all patients have headache. Altered mental status can range from irritability to somnolence, delirium, and coma.
How is meningitis contracted?
Common bacteria or viruses that can cause meningitis can spread through coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing eating utensils, a toothbrush or a cigarette. These steps can help prevent meningitis: Wash your hands.
Which procedure is most likely used to test for meningitis?
Q:Which procedure is most likely used to test for meningitis? A: A spinal tap (or lumbar puncture) is the most common method for obtaining a sample of the fluid in the spinal canal to determine a diagnosis for encephalitis or meningitis.
Is meningococcal meningitis airborne?
Bacterial meningitis is NOT spread through casual contact or the airborne route; however, some bacteria can be spread by close contact with respiratory droplets (e.g., in daycare centers).
How is meningitis controlled?
Prevention of meningococcal cases and outbreaks, through vaccination, is the best control strategy. Licensed vaccines against meningococcal disease have been available for more than 50 years. Vaccines are serogroup specific and the protection they confer is of varying duration, dependent on which type is used.
How do you position a patient with meningitis?
Place your patient in a supine position. Assess for nuchal rigidity (neck pain and resistance to flexion), which may signal meningeal inflammation or a mechanical problem. Repeat your assessment on the other side. If pain and resistance to knee extension are bilateral, meningeal irritation may be present.
How did meningitis start?
Bacteria that enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain and spinal cord cause acute bacterial meningitis. But it can also occur when bacteria directly invade the meninges. This may be caused by an ear or sinus infection, a skull fracture, or — rarely — some surgeries.
Is meningitis an airborne disease?
What are the treatment options for viral meningitis?
Most cases of viral meningitis (e.g., caused by enteroviruses) can be treated supportively. Specific antiviral therapy is only warranted if viral encephalitis is also suspected (see HSV encephalitis for further details). Continue treatment if either HSV or VZV is detected, otherwise discontinue.
What is the prognosis of bacterial meningitis?
Bacterial meningitis can be rapidly progressive and life-threatening. Patients may present as critically ill and with complications (e.g., sepsis, multiorgan failure) requiring early aggressive supportive care. Empiric antibiotic treatment must be initiated as soon as possible (i.e., often prior to diagnosis).
What is included in the workup of bacterial meningitis (BMP)?
BMP: Blood glucose is needed to analyze CSF glucose. Assess for organ damage and complications. Imaging is not necessary to establish the diagnosis of meningitis in most patients and should only be considered in patients with significant risk factors for complications. See “Subtypes and variants” for characteristic findings of specific pathogens.
What is the CSF mononuclear pleocytosis in meningitis?
Viral meningitis characteristically has a CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, although there may initially be a neutrophilic predominance. This neutrophilic predominance is not limited to the first 24 hours of illness and is not a reliable indicator between viral and bacterial meningitis.
