Meningitis: Types,Symptoms, causes and treatment

Several different bacteria can cause meningitis. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis are the most frequent ones. N. meningitidis, causing meningococcal meningitis, is the one with the potential to produce large epidemics. There are 12 serogroups of N. meningitidis that have been identified, 6 of which (A, B, C, W, X and Y) can cause epidemics.

Meningococcal meningitis can affect anyone of any age, but mainly affects babies, preschool children and young people. The disease can occur in a range of situations from sporadic cases, small clusters to large epidemics throughout the world, with seasonal variations. Geographic distribution and epidemic potential differ according to serogroup. The largest burden of meningococcal meningitis occurs in the meningitis belt, an area of sub-Saharan Africa, which stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

N. meningitidis can cause a variety of diseases. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) refers to the range of invasive diseases caused by N. meningitidis, including septicemia, arthritis and meningitis. Similarly, S. pneumoniae causes other invasive diseases including otitis and pneumonia.

Types of Meningitis

1. Viral meningitis: It is inflammation of the leptomeninges as a manifestation of central nervous system (CNS) infection. 
2. Bacterial meningitis: It is the  infection can cause by bacteria in the tissues around the brain to swell. This in turn interferes with blood flow and can result in paralysis or even stroke.
3. Fungal meningitis: It is caused by the fungus. It can develop after a fungus spreads from somewhere else in the body to the brain or spinal cord. Some causes of fungal meningitis include Cryptococcus, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Coccidioides, and Candida.
4. Parasitic meningitis: it’s caused by parasites that are found in dirty place feces, and on some animals and food .
5. Non-infectious meningitis: Non infectious meningitis is inflammation of the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord  and of the fluid-filled space between the meninges when it is caused by disorders that are not infections or by drugs or vaccines. 

Sign and symptoms

• Intolerance of noise (Phonophobia)
• Intolerance of light (Photophobia)
• High fever
• Altered mental health
• Irritability
• Confusion
• Sleepiness
• vomiting
• Severe headache
• Nausea
• Seizures
• Skin rashes
• Stiff neck
• No thirst and appetite

Causes 

• Bacteria 
  (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Listeria monocytogenes)
• Virus
  (simplex virus, HIV, mumps virus, West Nile virus)
• Fungus
  (Cryptococcus, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Coccidioides, and Candida)
• Parasites
  ( Angiostrongylus cantonensis,  Baylisascaris procyonis, Gnathostoma spinigerum)

Complications

• loss of vision
• loss of hearing capacity
• Abnormal gait
• Seizures
• loss of Memory
• Gangrene
• Kidney damage
• Shock
• Death

Prevention

• Wash your hands and use sanitizer too. It prevents to spreads the germs on your body.
• Don't share personal utensils and items  to others.
• Maintain the distance from infected people.
• Get vaccinated against meningitis.
• used masks on your mouth.
• Cover your mouth while sneezing
• If you're pregnant, take care with healthy food.
• Boost your immunity power.

Treatment

The treatments of meningitis is determined by their cause and the age of Patient.
Bacterial meningitis requires immediate hospitalization. Early diagnosis and treatment will prevent brain damage and death. Bacterial meningitis is treated with intravenous antibiotics. There’s no specific antibiotic for bacterial meningitis. It depends on the bacteria involved.

Fungal meningitis is treated with antifungal agents.

Parasitic meningitis may either involve treating just the symptoms or attempting to treat the infection directly. Depending on the cause, this type may get better without antibiotic treatment. If it worsens, however, your doctor may try to treat the infection itself.

Viral meningitis may resolve on its own, but some causes of viral meningitis will be treated with intravenous antiviral medications.