(Section C: Bacteriology) Lecture 22 Flashcards
Meninges
Membranes that envelop the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
* Includes the pia mater, arachnoid mater and dura mater
What is between the arachnoid and pia maters?
Cerebralspinal fluid (CSF)
Meningitis
Infection of the meninges
* Due to viral or bacteria infection
Viral vs. Bacterial Meningitis
Viral
* Generally less severe
* Usually resolves without specific treatment
Bacterial
* Rapid
* Life-threatening
Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)
Protective cellular structure
* Restricts passage of chemicals, toxins and microorganisms from blood to CNS
* Protects CNS from peripheral immune system
Steps 1-5 in Bacterial Meningitis
- Nasopharyngeal colonization
- Invasion into blood
- Multiplication in blood
- Crossing of the blood brain barrier (BBB)
- Invasion of the meninges
Steps 6-10 of Bacterial meningitis
- Production of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines
- Recruitment of leukocytes into CNS
- Edema, increased cranial pressure
- Inflammation
- Neuronal damage
What are the 3 methods of traversing the BBB?
- Transcellular traversal
- Paracellular traversal
- Trojan-horse mechanism
Transcellular travel
Microorganism crosses epithelial cells by going through the cells
Paracellular traversal
Microorganisms cross epithelial cells by squeezing through the junctions
Trojan-horse mechanism
Microorganisms cross epithelial cells by getting phagocytosized by macrophages and carried inside
True or False:
Bacterial meningitis is a rare and mild disease
False, it is rare but very dangerous disease (kills in days)
Bacterial meningitis
* Mortality rate
* Sequelae
- 10-25%
- Brain damage, blindness, hearing loss, learning disabilities
What are early signs in bacterial meningitis like?
May be non-specific
What are the trademark symptoms of bacterial meningitis in adults?
- High fever
- Severe headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
What are the main clinical symptoms in infants for bacterial meningitis?
(8)
Subtle, variable and non-specific
* Fever
* Constant crying
* Excessive sleepiness or irritability
* Poor feeding
* Inability to maintain eye contact
* A bulge in the soft spot on top of a baby’s head (fontanel)
* Stiffness in the baby’s body and neck
* Skin rash in cases of meningococcal meningitis
What are risk factors for bacterial meningitis?
- Lack of vaccination
- Young age (infants)
- Living in a community setting
- Immunocompromised individuals due to disease or chemotherapy
- Cranial surgery
What are examples of community settings?
- University students living in dormitories
- Military personnel
- Boarding schools
- Childcare facilities
- Prisons
Diagnosis of bacterial meningitis
- History
- Symptoms
- Blood tests (inflammatory markers)
- Culture
- Lumbar puncture
- Imaging (CT)
What is a lumbar puncture? What are signs in a lumbar puncture that point to bacterial meningitis?
Spinal tap
* Cloudy CSF
* Gram stain and culture
* Presence of white cells (neutrophils)
* Low glucose
What are the 3 physical signs of bacterial meningitis?
- Nucal rigidity
- Brudzinski’s sign
- Kernig’s sign
Nucal rigidity
Inability to flex the head forward
Brudzinski’s sign
Severe neck stiffness
* Causes a patient’s knees to flex when the neck is flexed
Kernig’s sign
Severe stiffness of the hamstrings
* Inability to straighten the leg when the hip is flexed to 90 degrees
Treatment of bacterial meningitis
MUST BE PROMPT
* Intravenous antibiotics
* Corticosteroids
* Supportive therapies
What is the purpose of corticosteroids in bacterial meningitis?
To reduce swelling in the meninges
* E.x. Dexamethasone
What forms of supportive therapy is given in bacterial meningitis?
- Monitoring
- Oxygen
- Fluids
True or False:
All bacterial pathogens have the potential to cause meningitis
True, but only few account for most cases
What are the major causes of bacterial meningitis?
- Neisseria meningitidis
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenzae
- Listeria monocytogenes
In infants (0-2 months):
5. Streptococcus agalactiae
What type of bacteria is Streptococcus agalactiae?
Group B Streptococcus
What is a shared trait among all of the major causes of bacterial meningitis?
Produce a capsule
* EXCEPT for Listeria monocytogenes
Describe:
Capsule
Loose, relatively unstructured network of polymers that cover the surface of some bacteria