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br /> 6. Baby may be floppy and dislike being handled
7. Difficult to wake or lethargic
8. The fontanelle (soft spot on a baby's heads) may be tense or bulging .
The common signs and symptoms in children and adults are as follows:
1. High temperature, fever, with the possibility of cold hands and feet.
2. Vomiting or nausea and sometimes diarrhea.
3. Severe headache
4. Stiffness of neck
5. Joint or muscle pains, occasionally cramps in stomach with septicemia.
6. Increased sensitivity to lights
7. Drowsiness
8. Seizures
9. The patient may be confused or disoriented
10. Adults and children may develop rash.
11. Knees automatically brought up toward the body when the neck is bent forward or pain in the legs when bent (called Brudzinski sign).

12. Inability to straighten the lower legs after the hips have already been flexed 90° (called Kernig sign)

Risk Factors 风险因素
Some of the risk factors for meningitis include:
• Age: Babies ,young children, young adults, and older adults are at a greater risk of being infected with meningitis.
• Community Living: People in camps, schools, and college dormitories are more likely than others to get meningitis caused by organisms that can spread easily from one person to another.
• Pregnancy: Pregnant mothers are likely to develop listeriosis, which is caused by listeria bacteria. This bacterium may also cause meningitis. A child born of women suffering from listeriosis is at higher risk of developing meningitis.
• Animals: Dairy farmers and ranchers working with pets and domestic animals are at increased risk of developing listeria which may ultimately lead to meningitis.
• Immune-Compromised System: People suffering from AIDS, diabetes and those using immunosuppressant drugs are susceptible to develop meningitis.

• Genetics: Some people may inherit the tendency to get meningitis. If they come in contact with organisms that can cause the infection, they may be likely to get infected.

Medical Tests & Diagnosis Methods/Tools 医学检验与诊断方法/工具
A family physician or a pediatrician can carry out a physical examination, some diagnostic tests and study the medical history to diagnose meningitis. Physical examination includes checking for “…signs of infection around the head, ears, throat and the skin along the spine.” Diagnostic tests include:
Lumbar Puncture: Analysis of the sampled cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected with the help of a procedure known as a spinal tap is a definitive diagnostic procedure to detect meningitis. Low glucose levels, high white blood cell (WBC) count and increased protein in the CSF are some of the indicators of meningitis. Analysis of CSF may also reveal the bacterium causing illness.
Throat Culture: A throat culture can identify the bacterium that causes throat pain, neck pain and headache in the patients but would not be helpful in identifying the pathogenic microorganisms in the spinal fluid.
Radiological Studies: Imaging techniques such as X-rays and Computerized tomog