Published accounts of tuberculous meningitis usually include intracranial tumour in the differential diagnosis. However, the two conditions are only likely to be confused when tuberculous meningitis is complicated by a tuberculoma or when there is diffuse infiltration of the subarachnoid space by malignant cells. As the latter causes an increase in both the cell and protein content of the cereb...

The free and bound sialic acid content of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with positive evidence (by CSF culture) of pyogenic and tuberculous meningitis was determined. The free sialic acid content was significantly raised only in cases of pyogenic meningitis, but not in tuberculous or other types of the disease.

OBJECTIVES Tuberculous meningitis is characterized by elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, it is unclear whether elevated MMP9 levels are associated with poor treatment outcome. We tested the hypothesis that pretreatment MMP9 levels in the CSF would be higher in tuberculous meningitis patients experiencing a poor treatment outcome. ME...

BACKGROUND Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is one of the most common etiologies of aseptic meningitis. The severest manifestation of VZV meningitis is occasionally confused with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Thus, we investigated the clinical manifestations of VZV meningitis as compared with those of TBM. MATERIALS AND METHODS All adult patients who were diagnosed with VZV meningitis or TBM were...

The syndrome of severe wasting, opisthotonus and paraplegia in flexion associated with considerable hydrocephalus is well known to those treating advanced cases of tuberculous meningitis. Once such a condition has developed, the outlook is generally poor. Many patients will die and the survivors will often be handicapped by a variety of physical and mental sequelae. The purpose of this paper is...

A number of different biochemical and serological tests have been described recently for the early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis. None of these tests has yet gained widespread acceptance in clinical medicine or in microbiology laboratories. To investigate this problem we evaluated adenosine deaminase activity (ADA), an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that detects an...

INTRODUCTION Data on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in tuberculous meningitis are lacking and prompted this study. SPECT findings in tuberculous meningitis are reported and correlated with clinical and radiological findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventeen patients with tuberculous meningitis that was diagnosed on clinical, radiological, and laboratory criteria have been in...

The classical description of the three stages in the clinical course of tuberculous meningitis was written nearly 200 years ago by Robert Whytt, Professor of Medicine at Edinburgh University; and his conclusions that 'if this disease could be known early . . . it might sometimes be cured, but as it never discovers itself . . . till the action of the brain is disturbed . . . we have little to ho...

Transverse myelitis appearing during the course of tuberculous meningitis is one of the main reasons for its poor prognosis. Fortunately, this condition is relatively infrequent and, it is possible with prompt and appropriate therapy it can be significantly reduced. Spreading of the infection in the medulla spinahis is mainly due to contamination of the meninges during tuberculous meningitis. L...