Bacterial Meningitis: Pathogenesis, Assessment Findings, and Treatments

Meningitis is described as the infection/inflammation of the meninges, which is the layer that covers the brain and the spinal cord in the central nervous system (“What is Meningitis?” n.d.). Several types of meningitis can occur. Of these are bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic, or toxic (Huether, McCance, 2008). Most people who contract viral meningitis are said to make a full recovery and fungal meningitis generally occurs in people with an impaired immune system (“What is Meningitis?” n.d.). Bacterial meningitis mainly occurs within the pia mater and arachnoid, subarachnoid space, the ventricular system of the brain and in the cerebrospinal fluid (textbook). In particular, bacterial meningitis can be caused by a large number of various bacteria. The most common bacterial agents that cause meningitis include Neisseria meningitides, group B Streptococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Watkins, 2009). Bacterial meningitis is arguably one of the most dangerous infections that infants and children, in particular, may be exposed to (Huether et al., 2008). Sadly, it is most common in infants and it generally affects more males than females (Huether et al., 2008).

Pathogenesis

Bacterial meningitis is a complex infection and the pathogenesis of it is extremely fascinating. The bacterial agents that cause bacterial meningitis are spread through droplets from the upper respiratory tract (Watkins, 2009). This is important to take into consideration because some infections may be contracted through skin contact or through bodily secretions, but bacterial meningitis is through respiratory droplets. This is significant. It is also important to know that the incubation period of bacterial meningitis...

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... fascinating and captivating. With further research, treatment, prevention, and detection options can only improve.

Works Cited

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collection: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2014, February 26). U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003428.htm

Huether, S. E., & McCance, K. L. (2008). Understanding pathophysiology (5th ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby/Elsevier.

Nudelman, Y., & Tunkel, A. R. (2009). Bacterial meningitis. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management update, 69(18), 2577-2591.

Watkins, J. (2009). Red flag: How to respond to acute presentations. Bacterial Meningitis, 20(12), 620-621.

What Is Meningitis? Bacterial, Viral, and Fungal Meningitis Causes. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-meningitis-basics