Staphylococcal meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meninges), caused by Staphylococcus bacteria.
Alternative Names:
Staphylococcal meningitis
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Meningitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus or S. epidermidis usually develops as a complication of a surgical procedure, or as an infection spread by the blood from another site.
Risk factors include recent brain surgery, previous meningitis associated with spinal fluid shunts, infections of heart valves, or previous infection of the brain itself.
For any patient with meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture (spinal tap), where a sample of spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is obtained and sent to the lab for testing.
High white blood cell count in blood and spinal fluid
Review Date: 9/6/2006
Reviewed By: Hilary M. Babcock, M.D., Medical Director of Occupational Infection Control, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's Hospitals; Instructor of Medicine, Infectious Disease Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Cognitive Neurology, Infectious Diseases, General Pediatrics
