SearchExclusive.com

The What and Why of Strep Meningitis

Meningitis is a disease characterized by the inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. The second most common type of meningitis is bacterial meningitis. Acute bacterial meningitis is caused by several strains of bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), Haemophilus influenzae (Haemophilus), and Listeria monocytogenes (listeria).

What is strep meningitis?
Strep Meningitis, also known as streptococcus meningitis or pneumococcal meningitis, is a disease caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. The Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria spread and multiply in the ‘meninges’ in the brain, hence, the name meningitis.

The meninges are the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord, filled with cerebrospinal fluid, to protect the brain tissues from damage.

When the meninges are infected by any kind of bacteria, toxic substances are produced in the cerebrospinal fluid, which results in inflamed and swollen brain tissue.

Types of Strep Meningitis

Strep Meningitis can be of two kinds. The two types of bacteria responsible for strep meningitis are Group A Streptococcal, also known as GAS, and Group B Streptococcal, known as GBS.

A Group A streptococcal infection is caused by GAS bacteria, found on the inside of the throat and the skin’s surface. GAS bacteria are less harmful than GBS bacteria and cause issues like a sore throat, skin, ear and sinus infections.

When the bacteria penetrate the body, the threat becomes more serious as they can cause septicemia, or blood poisoning, or lung infection AKA pneumonia. Meningitis caused by gas is rare but is still a possibility.

GBS bacteria are also called Streptococcus agalactiae. These bacteria are found in the vagina, intestines, and sometimes in the throat. There is a very slight chance of these bacteria being transferred from the mother to the child during childbirth. In newborn babies, this condition is called neonatal meningitis.

Many of us are the carriers of bacteria responsible for strep meningitis. The bacteria is not harmful in normal cases unless transferred from the carrier to a person at a higher risk of being affected by it. The bacteria are transferred from one person to another via coughing, sneezing or physical contact.

In its non-severe cases, the bacteria only cause mild symptoms like pain in the throat, ear or nose, but if left untreated or undiagnosed, it can cause severe illness like meningitis, pneumonia, and even lead to septicemia.

In the case of GBS bacteria, there is only a 1% chance of the bacteria getting transferred from the mother to the baby. But in some cases, even after meningitis is cured, the effects can appear after weeks, months or even years.

These effects can range from mild to severe cognitive problems, like learning difficulties and memory problems. The effects could even extend to physical problems like hearing trouble, brain damage, problems with movement, seizures, and kidney failure.

GBS bacterial infections are relatively rare in adults, but those with a weak immune system are at a higher risk of infection.

In severe cases of strep meningitis, the bacteria enter the bloodstream and start attacking the blood vessels. The ruptured blood vessels start leaking internally. This causes blood poisoning or septicemia.

Symptoms Of Strep Meningitis

The most common symptoms of strep meningitis are a headache, stiff neck, and nausea. In some cases, skin rashes may also appear. However, the symptoms are different and extremely hard to identify in babies. It is important not to ignore such symptoms in babies, where the risk is even higher.

Treatment

It’s very important to identify the symptoms of meningitis as soon as possible and start an antibacterial treatment course. If you suspect the symptoms of strep meningitis, there should be no delay in paying a visit to the doctor.

The doctor is likely to prescribe an antibacterial treatment course. Another treatment option is a lumbar puncture (LP), which is used to confirm that the symptoms are an indicator of strep meningitis. A lumbar puncture is a procedure in which a sample of cerebrospinal fluid is taken from the spinal canal to be tested for possible bacterial infection.

Sometimes, the symptoms of strep meningitis are not very clear, but a delay in the diagnosis or treatment of bacterial meningitis can lead to severe neurological disorders, In extreme cases, it can lead to blood poisoning, lung infections, organ failure, and even death.

Prevention

Strep Meningitis can easily be prevented by administering vaccines regularly. For children in the age 11 to 12 years, meningococcal vaccines are available, which can prevent strep meningitis. An additional dose is also advisable at around 16-18 years of age. There are two kinds of vaccines for preteens and teens:

• Meningococcal conjugate vaccines

• Serogroup B meningococcal vaccines

These vaccines are also prescribed for adults who face an increased risk for meningococcal disease and should be administered properly to avoid bacterial meningitis.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.