Meningitis

  • Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranous covering of the brain and spinal cord.
  • It can be classified based on the onset and etiology:
    • Acute (<1 day), subactue (1 day-4 weeks) or chronic (≥4 weeks)
    • Infectious (most cases), noninfectious (autoimmune, drug-related, or cardiomatosis)

Acute meningitis

Acute meningitis is typically the result of bacterial infection. The most common agents vary based on the age group:

Age groupAgent
Neonates (<3mo)Group B strep
E. coli
L. monocytogenes
Children (3mo-18yo)N. meningitidis
S. pneumoniae
H. influenzae
Adults (18-50yo)S. pneumoniae
N. meningitidis
H. influenzae
Older adults (>50yo)L. monocytogenes
Gram negative bacilli
S. pneumoniae
Table 1. Most common








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