22 - Nervous system infections

Question 1

Bacterial meningitis symptoms

Answer 1

fever, headache, stiff neck; convulsions, coma

Question 2

What are the different organisms that cause meningitis?

Answer 2

bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa

Question 3

What is the treatment for bacterial meningitis?

Answer 3

start on broad spectrum antibiotics proactively while waiting on spinal tap results

Question 4

What is the most common type of meningitis?

Answer 4

viral meningitis - but is less severe

Question 5

What are the 3 main bacteria that cause meningitis?

Answer 5

1. Haemophilus influenzae (Hib)
2. Neisseria meningitidis
3. Streptococcus pneumoniae

Question 6

Haemophilus influenzae

Answer 6

• used to be most common but not now from vaccine
• normal microflora of throat
• gram negative
• sugar capsule

Question 7

Neisseria meningitidis

Answer 7

• gram -
• capsule
• normal microflora of throat
• transmission from droplet aerosols or direct contact
• endotoxin (rapid death - hours after fever)

Question 8

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Answer 8

• aka pneumococcal meningitis
• gram +
• capsule
• leading cause of bacterial meningitis now

Question 9

What causes listeriosis?

Answer 9

Listeria monocytogenes bacteria (lives and proliferates inside macrophages)

Question 10

Symptoms of listeriosis

Answer 10

-adult: usually mild but can develop into meningitis (4th most common) usually in immunocompromised
- pregnancy: mom mild flu-symptoms, fetus can be stillborn/miscarriage

Question 11

How is listeriosis transmitted?

Answer 11

foodborne (deli meats/dairy) and animal feces - grows at food temp

Question 12

What is the treatment for listeriosis?

Answer 12

antibiotics

Question 13

Cryptococcus:

Answer 13

• caused by cryptococcus neoformans
• fungal infection
• leads to meningitis (in immunocompromised
• facultative intracellular pathogen
• transmitted through inhalation
• antifungals

Question 14

Tetanus organism

Answer 14

Clostridium tetani (bacteria)

Question 15

Tetanus transmission

Answer 15

soil/animal feces

Question 16

Tetanus symptoms

Answer 16

toxin blocks relaxation leads to spasms, lockjaw, and death

Question 17

Tetanus treatment

Answer 17

vaccine (DTaP)

Question 18

What is the neurotoxin for tetanus?

Answer 18

tetanospaspmin (released when bacteria die)

Question 19

Botulism

Answer 19

• Clostridium botulinum (bacteria)
• soil/aquatic/sealed cans
• exotoxin it produces causes diseae
• flaccid paralysis (difficulty swallowing, weakness, blurred vision, respiratory/cardiac failure/ death)
• blocks ACH

Question 20

What is the treatment for botulism?

Answer 20

antitoxin - horse derived with many side effects

Question 21

Leprosy

Answer 21

• mycobacterium leprae (bacteria)
• invades PNS and causes nerve damage from cell mediated immune response
• 2 forms of disease (tuberculoid and progressive)
• communicable but not very contagious
• long incubation period
• antibiotics

Question 22

What is polio caused by?

Answer 22

polio virus (piconraviridae)

Question 23

How is polio transmitted?

Answer 23

contaminated water in poor sanitation

Question 24

What are the symptoms of polio?

Answer 24

• 3/4 don’t have symptoms
• mild: headache, sore throat, fever
• severe: (1%) death by respiratory paralysis

Question 25

What is the treatment for polio?

Answer 25

vaccine (needle/oral)

Question 26

What causes rabies?

Answer 26

Rabies virus (rhabdoviridae)

Question 27

What are the symptoms of rabies?

Answer 27

rage, fatal encephalitis, paralysis, swallowing difficult

Question 28

What is the transmission of rabies?

Answer 28

infection through bite of animal

Question 29

What is the tx for rabies?

Answer 29

• long incubation so can have a vaccine post-exposure
• once symptoms have onset - can induce coma - there are antiviral drugs but almost always fatal

Question 30

What are the 4 most common animals that cause rabies?

Answer 30

bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons

Question 31

Sleeping sickness organism

Answer 31

Trypanosoma brucei - protozoa

Question 32

How is sleeping sickness spread?

Answer 32

tsetse flies (incubation weeks-months)

Question 33

Symptoms of sleeping sickness

Answer 33

fever, headaches, CNS deterioration - coma or death with no tx

Question 34

TX of sleeping sickness

Answer 34

moderately effective drugs - can’t alter disease once CNS is involved

Question 35

West Nile Virus

Answer 35

-Flaviviridae
- arbovirus
- bird-mosquito-human cycle
- fever, headache, weakness, tremors, paralysis or encephalitis - most cases mild