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Meningitis - tuberculous



Central nervous system
Central nervous system


Meningitis - tuberculous

Alternative Names:

Tubercular meningitis, TB meningitis
Symptoms:

Signs and tests:

For any patient with meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture (spinal tap), where a needle is inserted into the back of the patient and spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is sampled. The following tests help diagnose tuberculous meningitis:

  • Spinal fluid (CSF) stain positive for mycobacterium
  • CSF with high protein, low glucose and increased lymphocytes
  • CSF culture growing M. tuberculosis
  • CSF positive for M. tuberculosis PCR
  • Positive skin test for tuberculosis
  • Brain or meningeal biopsy showing M. tuberculosis



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