CNS infections 1 and 2 - Kozel Flashcards
List some CNS infections.
- acute meningitis
- cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections
- chronic meningitis
- enchephalitis
- Focal CNS syndromes
What are some Focal CNS syndromes?
- brain abscess
- subdural empyema
- epidural abscess
What are some routine tests done on CSF samples?
- WBC count with differential - normally around 0-5 mm2
- glucose concentration - normally around 60% of plasma levels or about 50-80 mg/dL
- protein concentration - normally about 15-50 mg/dL
- gram stain - always order! is effective 70-80% of the time
- bacterial culture
What are some specific tests to order based on clinical suspicion?
- PCR - nucleic acid amplification - done for viruses
- stain and culture for acid fast bacteria
- VDRL test for tertiary syphillis
- india ink negative stain
- cryptococcal polysaccharide antigen
- fungal culture
- viral culture - (PCR used more)
Meningitis is caused by what types of different microbes?
- viral - most common
- bacterial - more serious
- tuberculous
- cryptococcus
What is increased in all types of meningitis?
WBC count.
What are the CSF findings in viral meningitis?
- WBC’s increased with mainly lymphocytes - (50-1000 mm2)
- glucose is normal (greater than 45 mg/dL)
- protein is increased (less than 200 mg/dL)
What are the CSF findings in bacterial meningitis?
- highly increased WBC’s - mainly neutrophils, 1000-5000 mm2
- glucose is decreased, less than 40 mg/dL
- protein is increased, about 100-500 mg/dL
What are the CSF findings in tuberculous meningitis?
- WBC’s are increased - 50-300 mm2, mainly lymphocytes
- glucose is decreased - less than 45 mg/dL
- protein is increased - 50-300 mg/dL
What are the CSF findings in cryptococcal meningitis?
- WBC’s are increased - 20-500 mm2, mainly lymphocytes
- glucose is decreased - 40 mg/dL
- protein is normal or increased - about 45 mg/dL
Why is the CSF WBC count increased in meningitis?
It is due to inflammation and immune response. If there is blood in the CSF then the WBC count must be adjusted.
Why is glucose generally decreased in CSF in meningitis?
Could be several mechanisms:
- increased glycolysis by leukocytes and bacteria
- increased metabolic rate of brain and spinal cord
- altered glucose transport between blood and CSF
Why is protein generally increased in CSF in meningitis?
- disruption of the BBB
2. must be adjusted if evidence of blood in the CSF
What are the contraindications for lumbar puncture?
- papilledema - increased cranial pressure
2. neurological suggestion of intracranial mass
What is part of the differential diagnosis when a patient presents with headache, nuchal rigidity and fever?
Enecephalitis, ADEM, encephalopathy, cerebral mass or abscess, meningitis.
What is one big difference that can help differentiate between encephalitis and meningitis?
Meningitis does not usually present with altered mental status early in its course and encephalitis does.
What is meningitis?
Inflammation of protective membranes (meninges) covering the brain and spinal cord.
What is acute meningitis?
Meningitis with onset of symptoms over hours or several days.
What is aseptic meningitis?
Any meningitis for which a cause is not apparent after routine stains and culture of CSF.
What are the symptoms of acute meningitis?
- headache and neck stiffness associated with fever
- confusion or altered consciousness
- vomiting
- inabilty to tolerate light - photophobia
- inability to tolerate loud noises - phonophobia
What is the initial management of acute meningitis?
- lumbar puncture with CSF analysis
- empiric antimicrobial therapy based on patient age
- adjunctive dexamethasone if appropriate - a steroid that reduces inflammation
What microbes are associated with viral meningitis?
- enteroviruses - 85-95% of all cases in US
- mumps virus
- herpesvirus
What type of microbe is the most common meningitis causing bug?
Viruses.
What microbes are associated with bacterial meningitis?
- Haemophilus influenzae - 7%
- Neisseria meningitidis - 16%
- Streptococcus pneumoniae - 61%
- Streptococcus agalactiae - 14%
- Listeria monocytogenes - 2%
What other types of microbes can cause meningitis?
- Protozoa
- Helminths
- Spirochetes such as Treponema pallidum and Borrelia burgdorferii
Describe the general clinical course of bacterial meningitis.
- mucosal/nasopharyngeal colonization
- local invasion
- intravascular survival
- meningeal invasion
- induction of subarachnoid space inflammation
- alterations of BBB
- cerebral edema and increased ICP
Are the bacteria involved with meningitis encapsulated or not encapsulated?
They are usually encapsulated because they need to be able to survive and spread to the meninges.
How many bacteria does it take to cause meningitis?
It only takes one single bacteria that is able to pass through the BBB and infect the meninges.
Age is a big determinate in what specific microbe is the most probable cause in a case of bacterial meningitis. Describe which ones are associated with which age group.
- newborns of less than one month - Group B strep (Strep aglactiae) most common but can be E. coli, Listeria or Klebsiella.
- 1-23 months - group B strep most common but can be E. coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Strep pneumonia and Neisseria meningitidis.
- 2-50 years - Strep pneumoniae is most common but can be Neisseria meningitidis.
- greater than 50 years of age - Strep Pneumoniae is the most common but can be Neisseria, Listeria or aerobic gram-negative bacilli.
What used to be a common cause of meningitis in kids 1-23 months old and why is it not anymore?
H. influenzae used to be the most common cause of meningitis in this age group but now it is Group B strep because we have vaccines for H. flu.
Most antibiotics cannot pass through a healthy BBB. Which ones can?
Rifampin and the fluoroquinolones.
What can cause increased permeability of the BBB to antibiotics?
Inflammation.
What features of antibiotics make them good at crossing BBB in the absence of meningeal inflammation?
- low molecular weight
- low degree of ionization at physiological pH
- high lipid solubility
- low degree of protein binding
- absence of active reflux system that acts on the drug
In newborns with meningitis caused by bacteria what is the empiric antibiotic treatment?
- ampicillin plus ceftriaxone
2. ampicillin plus an aminoglycoside
In the 1-23 month old age group, what is the best empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis?
Vancomycin plus a third-generation cephalosporin such as ceftriaxone.
In the 2-50 year old age group, what is the best empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis?
Vancomycin plus a third generation cephalosporin such as ceftriaxone.
In the over 50 age group, what is the best empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis?
Vancomycin plus ampicillin plus a third generation cephalosporin such as cetriaxone.
What are the recommended therapies for bacterial meningitis once gram staining or more specific tests have been done?
- Strep. pneumoniae- Vancomycin plus third generation cephalosporin
- Neisseria - third generation cephalosporin
- Listeria - ampicillin or penicillin G
- H. influenzae - third generation cephalosporin
- E. coli - third generation cephalosporin
What is an alternative treatment for Strep Pneumo bacterial meningitis?
Meropenem or fluoroquinolone.
What is an alternative treatment for Neisseria meningitis?
Penicillin G, ampicillin, fluoroquinolone.
What is an alternative treatment for listeria meningitis?
TMP-SMX or meropenem.
What is an alternative treatment for H. flu meningitis?
Cefepime, fluroquinolone.
What is an alternative treatment for E. coli meningitis?
Cefepime, meropenum, aztreonam, TMP-SMX, fluroquinolone.
How is chronic meningitis different from acute?
In chronic meningitis there is an indolent onset of greater than or equal to 4 weeks and signs of chronic inflammation in the CSF. Also, the fever will be lower , may have lethargy and disability and is often seen in immune compromised patients.
What are the early symptoms of chronic meningitis?
Headache, nausea and decreased memory and comprehension.
What sorts of microbes are associated with chronic meningitis?
- mycoses
- bacteria
- parasites
What Mycoses are associated with chronic meningitis?
- cryptococcosis
- coccidioidomycosis
- histoplasmosis
- candidiasis
What bacteria are associated with chronic meningitis?
- mycobacterium tuberculosis
- trepanoma pallidum
- borellia burgdorferii
What parasites are associated with chronic meningitis?
- acanthamebiasis
- cysticercosis
- angiostrngylus cantonensis
What is encephalitis?
Inflammatory processes in the brain parenchyma with clinical or lab evidence of neurologic dysfunction.
What are the symptoms of encephalitis?
Fever, headache and altered mental status.
What are the CSF findings in encephalitis?
- lymphocytic peocytosis - magnitude varies with etiologic agent
- normal glucose
- elevated protein
What types of viruses are causes of encephalitis?
- HSV1 and HSV2
- varicella zoster
- CMV
- HHV-6
- arboviruses
- HIV
- eneteroviruses - primarily poliovirus
- rabies virus
What is the most common infectious agent involved in encephalitis?
Viruses.
What are some non-viral causes of meningitis?
- listeria
- Rickettsia spp.
- Ehrlichia spp.
- Bartonella spp.
- Mycoplasma pneumonia
What are brain abscesses?
Focal, intracerebral infections that begin as localized area of cerebrates and develops into collection of pus surrounded by a well-vascularized capsule.
What are some sources of brain abscesses?
- contiguous spread - sinusitis, otitis media or mastoiditis
- hematogenous
- trauma
What are the symptoms of brain abscesses?
- General - headache, nausea, vomiting, focal neurologic findings
- can vary with site of abscess
What microbes are associated with brain abscess?
- bacteria
- fungi
- protozoa and helminths
List some bacteria associated with brain abscess.
- Streptococcus spp. - 70%
- Staph aureus - 10-20%
- Bacterioides spp.
- Prevotella spp.
- Fusobacterium spp.
- Enterobacteriaceae
- Pseudomonas spp.
- Nocardia asteroides
- Mycobacterium spp.
Most bacterial brain abscess infections are mixed infections- not just a single bacteria involved.
What are some predisposing conditions for brain abscess?
- sinus infection or dental infection
- penetrating trauma
- pulmonary infection
- congenital heart disease
- HIV infection
- Transplantation
- Neutropenia
When sinus or dental infections cause a brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- aerobic and anaerobic streptococci
- bacteroides spp.
- prevotella spp.
- enterobacteriaceae
- Staph aureus
When penetrating traumas are a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- Staph aureus
- aerobic streptococci
- enterobacteriaceae
- clostridium spp.
When pulmonary infection is a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- Fusobacterium
- actinomyces
- Bacteroides
- prevotella spp.
- nocardia spp.
- streptococci
When congenital heart disease is a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- Streptococci
2. staph aureus
When HIV infection is a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- toxoplasma gondii
- nocardia spp.
- mycobacterium spp.
- listeria
- cryptococcus neoformans
When transplantation is a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- Aspergillus spp.
- candidia spp.
- mucorales
- nocardia spp.
- toxoplasma gondii
When neutropenia is a cause of brain abscess, what microbes are usually involved?
- aerobic gram negative bacilli
- aspergillus spp
- candida spp.
- mucorales
What are the general features of Neisseria meningiditis and Neisseria gonorrheae?
- gram negative cocci
- pathogens are fastidious - use blood agar, chocolate agar or Thayer-Martin medium
- produce indophenol oxiadase - used for identification
- resistance - easily killed by drying, sunlight, heat and chemicals
What is Thayer martin medium?
A selective medium designed to inhibit normal flora but allowing Neisseria to grow.