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Meningitis Research Paper

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Meningitis – is a kind of infection or inflammation that affects the delicate membranes of the brain and spinal cord in infected individuals.
Bacterial meningitis is fatal and contagious among people in close contact and can be caused by several bacteria. The most common cause in children and adults are Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Streptococcuspneumoniae (pneumococcus) and among elderlies are Listeria monocytogenes. These forms of infections need immediate medical attention. (1)

Figure 1: This photograph shows the graph of having meningitis on our membranes.

Viral meningitis and fungal meningitis are less severe otherwise and most people recovered completely …show more content…

It was first discovered in 1805 by Vieusseux during an outbreak in Switzerland and later identified by Anton Weichselbaum in 1887. It was given the name Neisseria intracellularis due to its intracellular oval micrococci (3) and was placed in the Nisseria genus for its characteristics and close relation to Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It was then later named Neisseria meningitidis by bacteriologist Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser.(4)

In 1992-1993 endemics were reported in United States and Canada, in Spain in 1995-1997 on average of 3,000 new cases of meningitis are reported each year with only about 10-12% are fatal and of which 30% are survivors with long-term consequences.(5) In West Africa known as the "Meningitis Belt", 100 to 800 people in 100,000 are infected and this number can reach as high as 1,000 per 100,000. The largest outbreak reported was in Africa in 1996 with 250,000 cases recorded and of which 25,000 deaths occurred.(6)

Meningococcal meningitis most commonly occurs in children and teens and leading cause of bacterial meningitis in adults. The infection occurs more often in winter or spring.

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