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Meningitis - staphylococcal - Symptom

Alternative Names

Staphylococcal meningitis

Symptoms:

Change in mental status (confusion)
Fever
Nausea and vomiting
Rash
Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
Severe headache
Stiff neck

Signs and tests:

A physical exam may show:

Fast heart rate
Low blood pressure
Stiff neck

For any patient with meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture ("spinal tap"), in which a sample of spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is taken and sent to the lab for testing.

Tests may include:

Central nervous system

Reviewed last on: 9/28/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Swartz MN. Meningitis: bacterial, viral, and other. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 437.

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