Division CNS-MEN: Meningitis or ventriculitis

Meningitis or ventriculitis must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Patient has organisms cultured from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

• Patient has at least one of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognised cause: fever (> 38 °C), headache, stiff neck, meningeal signs, cranial nerve signs, or irritability

AND at least one of the following:

• increased white cells, elevated protein, and/or decreased glucose in CSF

• organisms seen on Gram’s stain of CSF

• organisms cultured from blood

• positive antigen test of CSF, blood, or urine

• diagnostic single antibody titer (IgM) or four-fold increase in paired sera (IgG) for pathogen

AND if diagnosis is made antemortem, physician institutes appropriate antimicrobial therapy.