What Is Bacterial Meningitis?

What Is Bacterial Meningitis?

• Fever
• Lack of ability to lower your chin to your chest (caused by a stiff neck)
  
• Headache
• Flu-like symptoms
• Nausea and vomiting
• Photophobia, or sensitivity to light
• Irritability and increasing drowsiness
• Seizures and stroke
• Confusion

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• Vomiting caused by fever
• Refusal to eat
• Sleepiness or difficulty waking up
• Low energy or slower responses
• Bulging fontanelle (“soft spot” on the baby’s head)

If you have (or your child has) any of these symptoms, go to the emergency room or call 911 immediately.

• Group B Streptococcus (group B strep). This bacterium most commonly affects infants less than 2 months old

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• Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae). This bacterium most commonly affects infants, young children, and adults in the United States

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• Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). This bacterium most commonly affects teenagers and young adults

Other types of bacteria that less commonly cause bacterial meningitis include:

• Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae). This bacterium was once the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children, but it’s rare now due to routine vaccines
• Listeria monocytogenes (found in unpasteurized cheeses, hot dogs and lunchmeats)
• Escherichia coli (E. coli)

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Some types of bacteria that cause meningitis can be passed to other people through saliva or mucus, via coughing, sneezing, kissing, or other forms of close contact.

It’s not uncommon for people to carry bacteria that causes bacterial meningitis in their nose and throat, and while you may not get sick, you can still spread the bacteria to other people who could get an infection.

Risk Factors

Risk factors for bacterial meningitis include:

• Age, especially children between the ages of 1 month and 2 years
• Substance use disorder
• Chronic nose or ear infections
• Head injury
• Pneumococcal pneumonia
• Living in crowded quarters, such as in college or boarding school dormitories, or military barracks
• Diseases, medication, or surgical procedures that weaken the immune system
• Having had your spleen removed
• Having had brain or spinal surgery or a widespread blood infection

To definitively diagnose bacterial meningitis, your doctor will also perform a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to collect a sample of your cerebrospinal fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds your spinal cord.

If your healthcare provider suspects bacterial meningitis, they will start treatment immediately, even before your test results come in.

Medication Options

• Antibiotics. If your doctor suspects that you have bacterial meningitis, they will immediately administer antibiotics intravenously (via an IV)
• Corticosteroids. A steroid will also be administered to bring down the inflammation

• Meningococcal to protect against N. meningitidis, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends for all adolescents, as well as children and adults at increased risk for meningococcal disease.

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• Pneumococcal to protect against S. pneumoniae, which the CDC recommends for children younger than 5 years and adults 65 years or older, as well as for children and adults at increased risk for pneumococcal disease.

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• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) to protect against H. influenzae, which the CDC recommends for all infants beginning at age 2 months.

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• If you smoke, quit
• Get enough sleep
• Avoid sick people
• Wash your hands frequently
• Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough
• If you’re pregnant, speak to your doctor about group B Streptococcus testing during your 36th or 37th week of pregnancy (if you test positive, you can take antibiotics to avoid passing group B strep to your baby)
• If you’ve been in close contact with someone who has bacterial meningitis, your healthcare provider may prescribe preventive antibiotics

• Seizures
• Memory and concentration problems
• Balance, coordination, and movement difficulties
• Learning differences
• Speech problems
• Vision or hearing loss

Viral meningitis

Fungal meningitis

Fungal meningitis, which isn't common in the United States, can be contracted by breathing in fungal spores found in soil, decaying wood, and bird droppings. It occurs more commonly in people with weak immune systems.

Parasitic meningitis

Parasites can cause a rare form of meningitis called eosinophilic meningitis. A tapeworm infection in the brain or cerebral malaria can also cause parasitic meningitis. Amoebic meningitis is a rare, life-threatening form of parasitic meningitis that you can get while swimming in fresh water.

Meningitis Now 

Based in England and Wales, Meningitis Now offers a range of peer support groups that can connect you with others facing life after meningitis, as well as a bereavement support group.

Meningitis Research Foundation

Also based in England and Wales, The MRF Membership and Support team can answer any questions you might have about meningitis. You can contact them via Facebook or by using their Get in Touch form.

Bacterial meningitis is a rare but serious illness. With prompt treatment, many people make a full recovery. However, without quick treatment, death or coma can occur in a matter of hours, and long-term complications are common.