🔴 Meningitis
Inflammation of the meninges
;if sever, may become encephalitis ( inflammation of the brain).
🔴Organism:
Neisseria meningitidis
1- A human pathogen.
2- Encapsulated gram-negative diplococcus.
3- Carrier prevalence 1%-35%.
4- 1% of carries are symptomatic.
🔴Transmission:
1- Respiratory secretion.
2- Direct contact.
🔵Incubation period: 2-10 days.
🔴Symptoms
🕐4-8 hrs irritability, loss of appetite, fever, nausea, sore throat, coryza, headache.
🕑12-15 hrs cold hands/feet, leg pain, abnormal skin color, hemorrhagic rash, meningismus (neck stiffness), photophobia.
🕓15-24 hrs: confusion/delirium, seizure, unconsciousness, septic shock> death
✳️Early symptoms can be nonspecific and often mimi influenza
🔺Complications:
1- Permanent neurological damage.
2- Developmental retardation.
3- Permanent hearing loss.
4- Epilepsy.
5- Death.
✳️Nasopharynx is where the pathogen protects itself
✳️Asymptomatic carriers are the major source of the pathogenic strains
🔴Vulnerable Factors
- Traveling to endemic area.
- Living in dormitories/mass gathering.
- Microbiologists.
- Infants < 2 yrs of age.
🔴Clinical signs
A. Kernig's sign:
sever stiffness of the hamstring muscle causes an inability to straighten the leg when hip is flexed to 90 degree.
B. Burdzinski's sign:
severe neck stiffness causes patient to flex his hips and knees when neck is flexed.
🔴Physical examination:
1- Glass test
(rash doesn't fade > medical help).
🔴Classes of available vaccines:
1- Polysaccharide vaccine
2- Conjugated vaccine more effective
Why ? (Effective in infants, immunity lasts longer, eliminates the carrier state, makes immune memory, and has booster effect.)
3- Outer membrane vesicle vaccine (OMV)
🔴Prevention
🔘•Ciprofloxacin 500mg single dose PO.
🔘•Rifampicin 600 mg BD, PO for 2 days.
🔘•Ceftriaxon (pregnant women) 250 mg single dose IM.
By Moo