Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Bacterial meningitis causes
Introduction
Overview
Overview
The causative agent for bacterial meningitis varies according to age group. Common causative agents for bacterial meningitis may include Group B Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Causes
Causes
Causes by Age group
The causative bacterial agent for bacterial agent may vary according to the age group:[1][2][3][4][5][6]
| Age group | Bacterial cause |
|---|---|
| New borns | Group B Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes |
| Infants and children | Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Group B Streptococcus |
| Adolescents and Young Adults | Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Older adults | Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Group B Streptococcus, Listeria monocytogenes |
Common causes
The most common causes of bacterial meningitis include the following in order of decreasing frequency:[3]
- Streptococcus pneumoniae- most common in all age groups
- Neisseria meningitis
- Hemophilus influenza
- Group B streptococcus
- Listeria monocytogenes
Less common causes
The rare causes of bacterial meningitis include:
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Group B streptococcus
- Klebsiella
- Peudomonas
- E coli
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Kingella Kingae[7]
- Mycobacterium tuberculosise
- Trepenoma pallidum
- Diphtheroids
- Propionibacterium acnes
- Serratia marcescens
- Salmonella species
- Borrelia burgdoferri
- Brucella sp
- Nocardia
- Francisella tularensis
- Streptococcus suis
Life threatening causes
Meningococcal meningitis may lead to bilateral adrenal hemorrhage causing shock and death.[8]
Causes by organ system
| Cardiovascular | No underlying causes |
| Chemical/Poisoning | No underlying causes |
| Dental | No underlying causes |
| Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
| Drug Side Effect | No underlying causes |
| Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
| Endocrine | No underlying causes |
| Environmental | No underlying causes |
| Gastroenterologic | No underlying causes |
| Genetic | No underlying causes |
| Hematologic | No underlying causes |
| Iatrogenic | No underlying causes |
| Infectious Disease |
Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic | No underlying causes |
| Neurologic | No underlying causes |
| Nutritional/Metabolic | No underlying causes |
| Obstetric/Gynecologic | No underlying causes |
| Oncologic | No underlying causes |
| Ophthalmologic | No underlying causes |
| Overdose/Toxicity | No underlying causes |
| Psychiatric | No underlying causes |
| Pulmonary | No underlying causes |
| Renal/Electrolyte | No underlying causes |
| Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy | No underlying causes |
| Sexual | No underlying causes |
| Trauma | No underlying causes |
| Urologic | No underlying causes |
| Miscellaneous | No underlying causes |
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial.html Accessed on 4th Jan, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thigpen MC, Whitney CG, Messonnier NE, Zell ER, Lynfield R, Hadler JL; et al. (2011). “Bacterial meningitis in the United States, 1998-2007”. N Engl J Med. 364 (21): 2016–25. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1005384. PMID 21612470.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Brouwer MC, Tunkel AR, van de Beek D (2010). “Epidemiology, diagnosis, and antimicrobial treatment of acute bacterial meningitis”. Clin Microbiol Rev. 23 (3): 467–92. doi:10.1128/CMR.00070-09. PMC 2901656. PMID 20610819.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hoffman O, Weber RJ (2009). “Pathophysiology and treatment of bacterial meningitis”. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2 (6): 1–7. doi:10.1177/1756285609337975. PMC 3002609. PMID 21180625.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kim KS (2010). “Acute bacterial meningitis in infants and children”. Lancet Infect Dis. 10 (1): 32–42. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(09)70306-8. PMID 20129147.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Khalessi N, Afsharkhas L (2014). “Neonatal meningitis: risk factors, causes, and neurologic complications”. Iran J Child Neurol. 8 (4): 46–50. PMC 4307368. PMID 25657770.
- ↑ Van Erps J, Schmedding E, Naessens A, Keymeulen B (1992). “Kingella kingae, a rare cause of bacterial meningitis”. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 94 (2): 173–5. PMID 1324818.
- ↑ Sonavane A, Baradkar V, Salunkhe P, Kumar S (2011). “Waterhouse-friderichsen syndrome in an adult patient with meningococcal meningitis”. Indian J Dermatol. 56 (3): 326–8. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.82496. PMC 3132917. PMID 21772601.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[2]