The symptoms are similar to viral and bacterial meningitis. As with many opportunistic fungal infections of immune compromised patients, it can be quite serious, and treatment is difficult or impossible.
Diagnosis and Treatment
The biggest question for physicians treating patients with suspected meningitis is: "is it viral or is it bacterial?" Rapid tests for Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) and Haemophilus influenzae Type B have made it relatively easy to determine within a short period of time whether these are the causative agents. These tests are on CSF, however, which can be difficult and painful to extract from the patient. Since they are antibody tests, there can be a delay from onset of infection to production of antibodies; therefore, there can be a false negative early in the course of the disease.
Another indication is the presence of white blood cells in CSF. While the presence of white cells is indicative of a CSF infection, such as meningitis, an absence does not rule out the disease.
Treatment protocols vary depending on the type of meningitis. Viral meningitis treatment is generally palliative only -- pain relief and bed rest. In some cases where the patient is particularly sick, there may be some antiviral drugs given, although they are usually not effective unless given early in the course of the disease.
Other than rapid antibody tests, there are no techniques which allow for rapid bacterial CSF isolation and differentiation. In some cases, the low number of CFU's in the CSF requires multiplication through PCR or enriched media used for septicemia testing. An isolation step is then required, and after 24-48 hours one can take one or more CFU's and run an antimicrobial susceptibility...
Carriers might pass on the disease, but they may not suffer from it for days, months, years or even indefinitely. The cause of susceptibility, other than the obvious -- a weakened immune -- system is not known. People who come in close contact, such as members of a family, children and youngsters at school of day care, those that are sexually or otherwise intimate will transmit the disease. These individuals
Introduction Meningitis infects the meninges, the delicate membranes that house the spinal cord and the brain. It is a rare infection that can affect adults and children alike. The disease manifests in several types such as through viral, bacterial and fungal varieties. Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous and infectious variety. It is a life threatening disease. It infects people in physical contact. Incidentally, viral meningitis is not as severe as
Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1) were found to be a biomarker in cerebrospinal fluid during the presence of bacterial meningitis; however, it is not yet recommended for clinical practice (Brouwer et al., 2010). Blood cultures and skin biopsy have been used to detect causative pathogens in patients when cerebrospinal fluid cultures are negative or unavailable, but these tests are not definitive enough to be used
Signs, Causes, Prevention and Management Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. The condition is serious because the inflammation is so close to the vital areas of the body. In general, it can be caused by viruses, bacteria, drugs, or even certain microorganisms. There are at least five different types of meningitis that affect humans: bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and non-infectious (cancer, drugs
Based on the information provided in the case, my roommate’s major symptoms are headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, and high fever. These symptoms are usually associated with meningitis, which implies that my roommate could be suffering from this condition. Meningitis is defined as an infection of the meninges or lining and fluid that cover the external parts of the brain and spinal cord. The classic symptoms of meningitis that
Risk Assessment of Four-year-Old Girl We each have a range of possibilities before us from the moment that we are born. However, we are each also at least in some ways limited from the moment of our birth because we do not come into the world as if we were a blank slate. This paper examines the ways in which one child had many of her "choices" already made for her.
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