What is the Difference Between Meningitis and Meningocephalitis

The key difference between meningitis and meningocephalitis is that meningitis causes infection of the meninges while meningoencephalitis causes infection of both meninges and the brain.

Brain infection has the potential to cause death if left untreated. These infections arise at different brain tissues or membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord. The most common causes are bacteria and viruses. Meningitis and meningoencephalitis are two types of infections that affect the brain and bring out severe effects. Out of the two types, meningoencephalitis is more severe since it contains both symptoms of meningitis and encephalitis.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Meningitis
3. What is Meningocephalitis
4. Similarities – Meningitis and Meningocephalitis
5. Meningitis vs Meningocephalitis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Meningitis vs Meningocephalitis

What is Meningitis?

Meningitis is a disease condition that causes inflammation of the meninges (the three membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord) due to infection of the surrounding fluid. The common causes for meningitis include bacterial and viral infections, cancer, drug allergies, fungi, and chemical irritation. Certain types of viral and bacterial meningitis are contagious, and coughing and sneezing transmit the disease.

Meningitis vs Meningoencephalitis in Tabular Form

Figure 01: The Most Distinct Symptom of Meningitis: Discoloration of Skin (Skin Rash)

The symptoms of meningitis include headache, vomiting, nausea, discoloration of the skin, stiff neck, confusion, and double vision. The symptoms develop within a few hours to a couple of days with the onset of infection. Complications of meningitis include temporary loss (later permanent) of hearing and vision, irreversible brain damage that affects movement and cognitive abilities, and hydrocephalus. Different types of meningitis cause varied effects on the individual. The risk groups for meningitis are elders (over 60) and children (below 05). Treatments for meningitis include ampicillin with aminoglycoside or cephalosporin.

What is Meningocephalitis?

Meningoencephalitis is a severe neurological condition that resembles both meningitis (inflammation in the meninges) and encephalitis (inflammation of brain tissue). In other words, meningoencephalitis infects both the meninges and the brain. The usual cause for meningocephalitis is the direct embolization of meningeal vessels with the invasion of cerebrospinal fluid or subsequent parenchymal cells of the infecting organism.

The causes for meningoencephalitis are bacterial (Listeria monocytogenes), viral (herpes virus), and protozoal (Toxoplasma gondii). Herpes virus infection is the most common and the main cause of meningoencephalitis. The symptoms of meningoencephalitis include fever, headache, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, focal neural deficit, and unconsciousness. Transmission of the disease occurs via common modes such as coughing and sneezing in close contact, water and food transmission, and mother to child during parturition.

Meningoencephalitis is diagnosed with neurological examinations, blood tests, lumbar puncture, CSF culture, EEG, and brain imaging (CT, MRI, ultrasound). Treatment options include intravenous antiviral medication (for herpes virus infection), antibiotics, drugs to prevent seizures, drugs to lower brain swelling and pressure, and pain medications. The common childhood vaccines (MMR, chickenpox vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine) will prevent the occurrence of meningoencephalitis.

What are the Similarities Between Meningitis and Meningocephalitis?

Meningitis and meningoencephalitis are types of infections.
Both infections cause severe effects on the brain and spinal cord.
The common causes for both types are bacteria and viruses.
Both diseases possess common symptoms such as headache and fever.
They can be treated with medication.
Vaccines are a common therapeutic to treat both meningitis and meningoencephalitis.

What is the Difference Between Meningitis and Meningocephalitis?

The key difference between meningitis and meningoencephalitis is the severity of the disease. Meningoencephalitis is more severe since it affects both the meninges and the brain, while meningitis is a kind of infection that only affects the meninges.

The below infographic presents the differences between meningitis and meningoencephalitis in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Meningitis vs Meningocephalitis

Meningitis and meningoencephalitis are two types of infections that affect the brain and the spinal cord. Meningitis affects the three membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord. Meningoencephalitis infects both the meninges and the brain. Hence, out of the two types, meningoencephalitis is more severe. So, this is the key difference between meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Both types consist of common causative agents such as bacteria and viruses. They also possess common mild symptoms like high fever and headache. Elders and children become the risk group for both meningitis and meningoencephalitis. Vaccines and other therapeutic drugs are used to treat the infections when at treatable stages.