Bacterial Infections of the CNS

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Introduction: The list of bacteria that infections the CNS is long. It is also more helpful when the individual entities are correlated with clinicopathologic features.

Meningitis

Suppurative infections

Mycobacterial infections

Spirochetal infections

Infections of cerebralspinal fluid shunts

Miscellaneous bacterial infections

CNS abnormalities caused by bacterial toxins

Meningitis  

Neonatal meningitis Head

Gram-positive

• Staphylococci (particularly group B)

• Listeria monocytogenes

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Stayphylococcus epidermidis

• Steptococcus pneumoniae

• Others

Gram-negative

• Escherichia coli

• Klebsiella-Enterobacter species

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Haemophilus inlfuenzae

• Others

Acute meningitis in children and adults  Head

Gram-positive

• Streptococcus pneumoniae

• Other streptococci

• Listeria species

• Others

Gram-negative

• Neisseria meningitides

• Haemophilus influenzae

• Others

Suppurative infections

Epidural abscess  Head

Gram-positive

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Staphylococcus epidermidis

• Streptococci

• Others

Gram-negative

• Aerobic bacilli

• Anaerobes

• Others

Subdural epyema  Head

Gram-positive

• Streptococci

• Staphylococci

Gram-negative

• Aerobic gram-negative bacilli

• Others

Brain abscess

Immunocompetent host Head

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Other aerobic and anaerobic streptococci

• Gram-negative bacilli

Immunocompromised host Head

• Aerobic gram-negative bacteria

• Mycobacterium species

• Nocardia asteroids

• Listeria monocytogenes

Mycobacterial infections

Tuberculosis  Head

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Non-tuberulous mycobacterial infection  Head

• Mycobacterium avium complex (M. avium and M. intracellulare)

• Mycobacterium kansasii

• M. fortuitum, M. chelonae, M. abscessus (rapidly growing mycobacteria)

• Others

Spirochetal infections  Head

• Treponema pallidum (Syphilis)

• Leptospira interrogans (Leptospirosis)

• Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)

• Borrelia recurrentis and other Borrelia species (Relapsing fever)

Infections of cerebralspinal fluid shunts  Head

Gram-positive

• Staphylococcus aureus

• Staphylococcus epidermidis

• Other staphylococcus

• Streptococcal species

Gram-negative

• Escherichia coli

• Klebsiella species

• Pseudomonas species

• Proteus species

• Neisseria meningitides

• Haemophilus influenzae

Miscellaneous bacterial infections

Whipple’s disease Head

• Tropheryma whippelii

Bartonella infections Head

• Bartonella bacilliformis (Oroya fever)

• Bartonella henselae (Cat-scartch fever)

• Bartonella quintana (B. henselae and B. quantana brain lesion associated with HIV infection)

Mycoplasmal infections Head

• Mycoplasma pnuemoniae

• Mycoplasma salivarium

• Mycoplasma hominis

• Ureaplasma urealyticum

Rikettsiae infections Head

• Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky mountain spotted fever)

• Rickettsia conorii (Boutonneuse fever)

• RickettsiaSibirica (North Asian tick typhus)

• Rickettsia australis (Queensland tick typhus)

• Rickettsia akari (Rickettsialpox)

• Rickettsia japonica (Oriental spotted fever)

• Rickettsia prowazekii (Epidemic typhus)

• Rickettsia typhi (R. mooseri) (Murine typhus)

• Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (Scrub typhus)

• Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)

• Ehrlichia species (Human monocytic/granulocytic enrlichiosis)

CNS abnormalities caused by bacterial toxins Head

• Clostridium botulinum (Botulism)

• Clostridium tetani (Tetanus)

• Bordetella pertusis (Pertusis)