Daily Almanac for
Nov 11, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia—meningitis

Viral meningitis

Viral meningitis, sometimes referred to as nonbacterial or aseptic meningitis, is milder and more common than bacterial forms. It can be caused by any of a number of viruses, including enteroviruses, the mumps virus, herpesviruses, HIV, and several mosquito-borne viruses (Bunyavirus and flavivirus) usually associated with encephalitis. Viral meningitis is usually seen only in individual cases rather than in outbreaks. Those not vector-borne are usually spread from person to person by the fecal-oral route. Symptoms include headache, fever, stiff neck, and tiredness, sometimes accompanied by a rash. There is no specific treatment.

Sections in this article:

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark