Causes of Meningitis

What are They?

Bacterial Meningitis

Bacteria enters the blood

The infected blood travels to the brain
and spinal cord
Bacteria can also get to the meninges
through an ear or sinus infection

Streptococcus Pneumoniae

This is the most common cause of

bacterial Meningitis in infants, children,
and young adults
Strep Throat
Creates pneumonia, ear infections, and
sinus infections

Neisseria Meningitis

Bacteria enters the blood through a

respiratory infection
It is highly contagious
There are two vaccines for this named
meningococcal polysaccharide
vaccineand meningococcal conjugate
vaccine

Haemophilus Influenzae

This was once the most common form

of Meningitis
Because of vaccination, this form of
Meningitis has gone down

Listeria Monocytogenes

This can be found in lunch meat, hot

dogs, and soft cheeses
If you are healthy, there is a very low
chance of you being affected by
Listeria
Pregnant women, infants, elderly, and
people with weak immune systems are
more likely to get this

Viral Meningitis

This is mild
Enteroviruses are the main reason for
Viral Meningitis
This tends to come around late
summer and early fall
Herpes, HIV, mumps, West Nile virus,
and other diseases can also take part

Chronic Meningitis

Slow growing organisms will infect the

membranes and fluids around the brain
This develops over two weeks or longer
The symptoms are headaches, fever,
vomiting, and mental cloudiness

Fungal Meningitis

This is uncommon and causes chronic

Meningitis
Fungal Meningitis can be easily
confused with bacterial Meningitis as it
is hard to diagnose
This isnt contagious
If not treated, this can be deadly

Other Causes

Can come from non-infectious causes

such as chemical reactions, drug
allergies, types of cancer, and diseases
like sarcoidosis