Meningitis diagnosis

Gram stain (adequate for diagnosis in 60% to 90% of patients with bacterial meningitis)... 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Abdominal aneurysm, aortic dissection, pleural effusion, subarachnoid hemorrhage, superior vena cava syndrome, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, mediastinitis, fulminate mediastinal tumors pneumonia, gastroenteritis, meningitis, ecthyma, rat bite fever, spider bite, leprosy, plague, tularemia, coccidioidomycosis, diphtheria, glanders, histoplasmosis, psittacosis, typhoid fever, and rickettsial pox. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Bronchitis, pneumonia, meningitis, gastroenteritis, septic shock, congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, costochondritis, prostatitis, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), HIV infection and AIDS, and Q fever. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Infections from other bacteria such as Enterobacter, E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Providencia, producing meningitis, pneumonia, or sepsis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Adenoviruses, arenaviruses, California encephalitis, coxsackieviruses, cytomegalovirus, dengue fever, eastern equine encephalitis, echoviruses, infectious mononucleosis, Japanese encephalitis, Lyme disease, meningitis, parainfluenza virus, rhinoviruses, bacterial sepsis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), St Louis encephalitis, upper respiratory infection, Venezuelan encephalitis, and West Nile encephalitis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Meningitis, basilar artery blood clots (thrombosis), cardioembolic stroke, cavernous sinus syndromes, cerebral venous blood clots (thrombosis), confusional states and acute memory disorders, epileptic and epileptiform encephalopathies, febrile seizures, haemophilus meningitis, intracranial hemorrhage, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, subdural pus (empyema), or bruise (hematoma). 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Other causes of meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Hepatitis, meningitis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, malaria, yellow fever, leptospirosis, rickettsioses, river viruses, scrub typhus, typhoid, and other viral infections. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Rabies, hepatoencephalopathy, leukoen-cephalomalacia, protozoal encephalomyelitis, equine herpes virus 1, verminous men-ingoencephalomyelitis, cranial trauma, botulism, and meningitis. In birds Newcastle disease virus, avian encephalomyelitis virus, botulism, and listeriosis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Other forms of encephalitis (e.g., California, Eastern Equine, St Louis, West Nile, Murray Valley), malaria, dengue fever, meningitis, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, enteroviruses, herpes simplex, and Nipah virus. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis California encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, herpes simplex encephalitis, meningitis, brain abscess, carcinomatous meningitis, CNS vasculitis, cerebrovascular disease. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Boutonneuse fever, chickenpox, scrub typhus, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, meningitis. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Anthrax, brucellosis, dengue, ehrlichiosis, infectious mononucleosis, Kawasaki disease, leptospirosis, malaria, meningitis, men-ingococcemia, relapsing fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, syphilis, toxic shock syndrome, toxoplasmosis, tularemia, typhoid fever, rubella, measles. 

Suggested Alternatives for Differential Diagnosis Anthrax, tetanus, rabies, meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral trypanosomiasis, piroplasmosis, theileriosis, listeriosis, parasitism poisoning by strychnine, lead, organophosphates, arsenic, and various plants that affect the central nervous system. 

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