Posted by My steam project is looking at the immune system’s response to bacterial meningitis. I chose bacterial meningitis because my brother was diagnosed in the beginning of January, it was very terrifying for my family. It was also the case study we did on the lymphatic and immune system that inspired me to do bacterial meningitis. Looking at all the different attributes like the foods that contain certain bacterias causing bacterial meningitis. I chose this topic because the infection can cause some cases to die in just a few hours. BM is a serious infection that people should know about at all times in case of infection. So I decided it would be interesting to look at the signs and symptoms, and how it severely affects the immune system. As well as looking at the symptoms that occur after the membranes inflame.
Meningitis is an infection of the membrane tissue that surrounds our spinal cord and brain. When it becomes infected the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord causes inflammation (Elston, 2018). You can receive bacterial meningitis in many ways, one of those being mucous membranes which is an invasion through the nose or or mouth. After mucous membranes invade the body the bacteria reaches the blood and goes through the bloodstream. Then the blood reaches the brain barrier causing inflammation and swelling in the brain (Gowin, 2018). It doesn’t become bacterial meningitis until bacteria enters the bloodstream. Bacterial meningitis (BM) is associated with multiple different symptoms. At first glance it can seem like a cold or flu. The first symptoms being a high fever, headache, and a stiff neck. While most cases of bacterial meningitis can lead to recovery, those who recover can also suffer from permanent physical and learning disabilities.
There are some healthy habits you can obtain to help protect yourself from bacterial meningitis and many other diseases just by obtaining some healthy habits. Some of these healthy habits being, avoiding smoking cigarettes, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, getting the right amount of sleep, and washing your hands often with soap and water (Meningitis. (2021). These types of habits can help protect people with weak immune systems, young infants, and older adults. There are also vaccines you can get to help your immune system try and prevent bacterial meningitis. The vaccination called “Meningococcal vaccines help protect against N. meningitidis” (Meningitis (2021). Which is the most common vaccination to protect against bacterial meningitis. Getting vaccinations can increasingly help your immune systems prevent meningitis.
I believe not many people are aware of meningitis, especially the different types until someone in their family catches this awful infection. I was completely unaware of what bacterial meningitis was and how it so severely made our immune systems suffer. That being said, for my abstract I figured I would keep it simple, so it was easier to understand. I decided to draw the side of a human face and draw the brain, fluid, spinal cord, and membranes. I thought this would be the easiest way for other people to understand where the bacteria infected the membranes and where the inflammation begins. Last semester I baked a cake but I thought I would try and expand my skills and draw a picture instead. Also, I believe drawing a picture was the best way for me to implement how meningitis affects the immune system.
References
Elston, R. J. S. (2018). Meningitis: An overview of signs, symptoms and management. British Journal of School Nursing, 13(9), 430–435. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjsn.2018.13.9.430
Gowin, E., & Januszkiewicz‐Lewandowska, D. (2018). Genes and their single nucleotide polymorphism involved in innate immune response in central nervous system in bacterial meningitis: review of literature data. Inflammation Research, 67(8), 655–661. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-018-1158-3
Meningitis. (2021, July 15). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial.html#:~:text=Certain%20germs%20that%20cause%20bacterial,on%20the%20type%20of%20bacteria.
This project covers the topic of bacterial meningitis and how it affects the immune system. It also covers ways to prevent forms of meningitis. This infection forms in the lymphatic and immune systems. Bacterial meningitis is an infection in the membrane tissue surrounding the spinal cord and brain. Near the brain and spinal cord, there are fluids. Meningitis causes inflammation in reaction to the infected fluids. According to her project, a person can receive such an infection by being surrounded by an infectious individual. Sneezing and sharing food allow a person to share their mucous membranes. When it is shared, mucous membrane enters through the bloodstream. After a person is infected with bacterial meningitis, they experience cold or flu-like symptoms. This includes a high fever and headache. Bacterial meningitis can cause permanent physical and mental disabilities, but they can also be deadly. To prevent the invasion of mucous membranes, avoid smoking or being around others who are sick. Keeping good hygiene, such as frequently washing hands, can help control the likelihood of obtaining bacterial meningitis. People can also get the meningococcal vaccine to protect themselves from different forms of meningism.