Disease

Culprit

How

When

Where/Who

Incubtion

Symptoms/ Othe

Meningococcal
meningitis

Neisseria
meningitidis

P2P
respiration

Spring, winter
(60-80%)

Serotype B, C and Y
resource rich areas

1-3 days

Sudden sore throa

headache,
drowsiness and
presence of fever,
irritability, neck
stiffness, and
photophobia,
skin rash with
petechiae

People with C5
C9 complement
deficiencies
show increase
susceptibility to
bacteremia

W-135 less
developed areas
Kids and teens

some vacciens

Haemophilus
meningitis

Haemophilus
influenzae
6 types
(a f)

Pneumococcal
meningitis

Streptococcus
pneumoniae
>85 different
capsular types

Neonatal
meningitis

group B
streptococcus
and E. coli (K1)

P2P

Kids <5 years old

Most healthy
ppl carry
strains in
throat
Throats of
healthy ppl

During
pregnancy

Rare, more
common< 2yr of
age, elderly (>65),
ppl w/ sickle cell
disease, head
trauma
In pregnant ladies

5 6 days

Less fatal,
sequelae: hearing
loss, delayed talkin
mental retardation
and seizures
Vaccines for kids

leads to permanen
neurological
sequelae such as
cerebral or cranial
nerve palsy,
epilepsy, mental
retardation or
hydrocephalus

Listeria
monocytogenes
meningitis

Listeria
monocytogene
s

Tuberculous
meningitis

Mycobacteriu
m tuberculosis

Immunocompromis
ed ppl (renal
transplant &
cancer)
most common in
children from 0 4
yrs of age

In >50% of cases
meningitis is
associated with
acute miliary
tuberculosis
Fungal
meningitis

Protzoal
meningitis
Primary amoebic
meningoencephali
tis caused by
naegleria
granulomatous
amoebic
encephalitis
caused by

Cryptococcus
neoformans,
Cryptococcus
gatti and
Coccidioides
immitis

1. Naegleria
2.
Acanthamoeba
3. Balamuthia
mandrillaris

Lungs
infected
microbes
invade blood
goes to
brain and
seeds
meningitis

Coccidioides
immitis infection is
common in
southwest USA,
Mexico and South
America
C. immitis CNS
infections occurs in
<1% of infected
individuals but is
fatal unless treated

1. water, can
also be
inhaled

1. Water in warm
countries or
inhalation

3. soil,
stagnant
water

2. commonly
immunocomp.,
enter via the skin
or the respiratory
tract
3. soil or stagnant

gradual onset over

few weeks (malais
apathy, anorexia,
photophobia, neck
stiffness and impai
consciousness

Cryptococcus
neoformans
meningitis in ppl w
depressed cellmediated immunit
Not the same for C
gatti

-symptoms slow,
over days or weeks

Naegleria- rapid
onset, high mortali
rate

water, humans
infected by
inhalation of cysts
or direct
contamination of
skin

acanthamoeba

Encephalitis

HSE (HSV
encephalitis)

HSV, VZV,
CMV,
enteroviruses
(polio,
coxsackie,
echo), mumps,
nipah,
rhabdovirus
HSV1, HSV2

CMV- immunocomp.
(AIDS)
Nipah- malaysia

Birth, saliva, Neonates- at

sex, infection birth (HSV2 in
vagina)

most common
form of severe
sporadic acute
focal encephalitis
Rabies

cerebral dysfunctio
abnormal behavior
seizures and altere
consciousness, ofte
with nausea,
vomiting and fever

Babies (HSV2)
Kids/adults (HSV1)
30% in ppl <20
years old
50% in ppl <50
years old

Kids/adultsHSV1
reactivation in
trigeminal
ganglia
rhabdovirus

excreted in
the saliva of
infected
dogs, foxes,
jackals,
wolves,
skunks
raccoons
and vampire
batstransmitted
by bite,
saliva, cut
Virus travels

generally 4
13 weeks,
sometime 6
months

Togavirus
menin./encephali
tis

togavirus

up
peripheral
nerves- no
immune
response
detected
brain
Through
arhtropods

Asymptotic
<1% of humans
infected develop
neurological diseas

mammals,
birds,
reptiles act
as resevoirs
cerebral malaria

Plasmodium
falciparum
(parasite)

plugs the
capillaries

Congenital CNS
from T. gondii

Toxoplasma
gondii
(parasite)

Damages
eye, impacts
brain
hydrocephal
us and
intracerebral
calcification

Brain & eye

granuloma
formation

Toxocara (cati
& canis)
(parasite)

Eggs from
cats/dogs
hatch- larvae
go to kidney,
liver, lungs,
brain, eyes,
muscles

Cystic hydatid
disease

Echinococcus
granulosus
(tapeworm)

Fever followed
convulsion and com
- lead to death if n
treated

Human dead-end
hosts

Granuloma brainconvulsion
Eye- retinal
detachment/
blindness

include nausea, an
vomiting, seizures
and altered menta

cyst formation,
in organs,
commonly in
liver
Cysticercosis

status

Taenia solium

cyst formation in
the brain and
eye
Spongiform
encephalopathie
s
-a spongiform
appearance of
nervous tissues
caused by
vacuolation and
plaque formation
Tetanus

Botulism

Prions

clostridium
tetani

Clostridium
botulinum

Spores in
soil, enter
through
wound
necrotic
tissue
toxinPNS
CNSblocks
inhibitions of
neurons get
overactivity
(also
overactive
sympathetic
system)
Spores
ingested
thru
contaminate

3 21 days

2 72 hrs

weakness and
paralysis with
dysphagia (difficul
swallowing), diplop

d food
(anaerobic)

(double vision),
vomiting, vertigo
and respiratory
muscle failure

PNS, block
acetylchol.
receptor
affects ANS
Conjunctivitis
(pink eyes)
Keratoconjunctivi
tis (severe eye
damage)

no abdominal pain
diarrhea or fever

2. adenovirus,
HSV or VZV
infection
Haemophilus
influenzae,
Staphylococcu
s aureus,
Moraxella
catarrhalis and
Streptococcus
pneumoniae
Neisseria
gonorrhoeae

Trachoma
Most important
eye infection

Chlamydia
trachomatis
(A, B, Ba and
C)

By contact:
contaminate
d flies,
fingers and
towels.

Onchocerciasis
(river blindness)

Onchocerca
volvulus

transmitted
by biting
Simulium
flies

Africa and Central

America