Meningitis - tuberculous

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Meningitis - tuberculous

Alternative Names

Tubercular meningitis; TB meningitis

Symptoms

Seizures
Fever
Listlessness
Loss of appetite
Severe headache
Nausea and vomiting
Stiff neck
Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
Loss of consciousness

Exams and Tests

For any patient with meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture (spinal tap), where doctors take a sample of spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) and send it for lab tests. The following tests help diagnose tuberculous meningitis:

CSF stain positive for mycobacterium
CSF with high level of protein, low glucose (sugar) level, and increased number of lymphocytes
CSF culture growing M. tuberculosis
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) shows CSF positive for M. tuberculosis
Positive skin test for tuberculosis (PPD)
Brain or meningeal biopsy showing M. tuberculosis


Central nervous system

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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