Parasitic meningitis is a condition where a parasite infects your brain, spinal cord, or nervous system and creates swelling in the meninges around the brain. The meninges make up the protective lining around the brain, so when they swell, it creates pressure on the brain that can be dangerous and life-threatening if the problem isn’t dealt with.
While all forms of meningitis are rare, parasitic meningitis is the rarest. However, parasitic meningitis is more common in South Africa and the surrounding region than in other countries. Although this condition can have life-threatening ramifications, it’s treatable if you get a proper diagnosis and start treatment as quickly as possible.
The signs and symptoms associated with parasitic meningitis are very similar to those of other types of meningitis. While it’s caused by something different, parasitic meningitis affects the brain and body the same way other forms of meningitis do. You’ll likely experience the following symptoms.
As your condition worsens, parasitic meningitis can lead to muscle spasms, paralysis, a permanent mental or physical disability, coma, and death. Because of these dire consequences, seeking diagnosis and treatment as quickly as possible is important.
Parasitic meningitis is when you experience swelling around the brain due to a parasitic infection. While parasitic infections are more common in animals than humans, they can still occur and tend to be very serious when they do. Many different parasites can cause parasitic meningitis in humans, but they’re grouped into the following three categories.
The main way that people contract one of these parasites and develop parasitic meningitis is when they eat or drink something that contains the parasite. In most cases, it comes from eating an infected plant or animal, but it can also happen from accidentally ingesting faeces or drinking contaminated water. Parasitic meningitis isn’t contagious because you can’t spread it from person to person.
While anyone can develop it, some people are more prone to parasitic meningitis than others.
Because of how rare parasitic meningitis is, few doctors will diagnose it based on your symptoms alone. The best way for doctors to diagnose parasitic meningitis is to collect blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CF) samples. They will then send these samples to a laboratory, where they’re checked for the presence of parasites. In rare cases, your doctor might also administer brain scans if your blood and CF results are inconclusive.
Doctors will also ask you about your recent history if they suspect parasitic meningitis. If you recently spent time in warm freshwater, ate raw or undercooked meat, or have one of the risk factors listed above, your doctor is more likely to suspect parasitic meningitis.
Parasitic meningitis is treated differently depending on the severity of your symptoms and the type of parasite that’s causing your meningitis. In most cases, however, your doctor will prescribe medications to reduce pain, reduce swelling around the brain, kill the offending parasite, and ease your other symptoms. It can take one to two weeks to fully recover from parasitic meningitis.