Bacterial meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis is an infection to the meninges of the brain. The infection causes inflammation of the meninges mainly in the pia matter of the brain and arachnoid matter with less likely situations in the dura matter. The sign and symptoms of meningitis can vary from very simples signs to more serious ones but none should be taken lightly since meningitis can be a live or death matter. Bacterial meningitis can also be cause by many different species of bacteria such as Neisseria meningitis, Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza, Listeria monocytogenes, and Streptoccus agalactiae.  Those five species account for 90 percent of bacterial meningities cases with some of the other percent being normal mocrobiota, Streptococus pyogenes, gram-negative enteric bacteria and Klebsiella. Symptoms of bacterial meningitis arise from increased number of white blood cells in the central nervous system causing meningeal inflammation and high fever. Inflammation of the meninges causes pressure in the organs beneath them, which also causes severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, pain, and may also cause loss of some brain functions leading to the infected individual feeling drowsy, confused and irritated. There are also spinal meninges that when inflamed cause stiff neck, loss of sensory input and control of muscles. Encephalitis is a more serious form of meningitis in which the brain has become infected and may cause deafness, blindness, drastic changes in behavior, and more serious outcomes as coma and death. Symptoms of bacterial meningitis can surface quickly mainly being three to seven days after exposure. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Babies younger than 1 month old are at a higher risk for severe infections, like meningitis, than older children. In newborns and infants, the classic meningitis symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to notice. The infant may appear to be slow or inactive (lack of alertness), irritable, vomiting or feeding poorly. In young infants, doctors may look for a bulging fontanelle (soft spot on infant’s head) or abnormal reflexes, which can also be signs of meningitis