Meningitis can be a grim condition involving an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges.

This inflammation may be caused by a variety of factors, including bacterial or viral infection. There are also some species of fungi, protozoa, and certain types of parasites which can also cause Meningitis.

Some medications, some cancers, or various other diseases can also inflame the meninges, although these non-infectious causes are very rare.

When someone becomes infected with a particular bacterium or virus, it does not mean that the person will automatically get meningitis.

In most cases, the particular micro-organism will simply cause its usual, run-of-the-mill infection. However, in other cases, people may carry one of the germs that can cause meningitis without becoming ill at all. Even though they may have no signs or symptoms of disease, they can still spread the germ and infect others.

Here are the main types of meningitis and their causes:

Bacterial Meningitis:
• Meningococcal Meningitis and Meningococcal Septicaemia Meningitis caused by Meningococcal bacteria, which has five main types - A, B, C, W135 and Y.
• Pneumococcal Meningitis caused by Streptococcus Pneumoniae bacteria
• Hib Meningitis caused by Haemophilus Influenzae Type B bacteria
• TB Meningitis caused by Bacillus Tubercle bacteria
• Neonatal Meningitis caused by Escherichia Coli or Streptococcus Agalactiae bacteria

Fungal Meningitis:
• Cryptococcus Neoformans fungus.

Amoebic:
• Amoeba found in geothermal and stagnating pools of fresh water in temperatures of 30°C

Viral Meningitis:
• Coxsackie virus, Echoviruses, and a range of other viruses, and also following infection with herpes simplex, measles, polio, chickenpox, or mumps.