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Meningite viral

Last reviewed: 13 Nov 2025
Last updated: 22 Aug 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presença de fatores de risco
  • cefaleia
  • náuseas e vômitos
  • fotofobia
  • rigidez de nuca
  • febre
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • erupção cutânea
  • sinal de Kernig
  • sinal de Brudzinski
Full details

Risk factors

  • lactentes e crianças pequenas
  • adultos jovens
  • idosos
  • verão e outono
  • exposição a vetores mosquito ou carrapato
  • não vacinado contra caxumba
  • uso de piscinas e lagoas
  • imunossupressão
  • exposição a roedores
Full details

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • microscopia do LCR
  • coloração de Gram do líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR)
  • cultura bacteriana do LCR
  • nível de proteína no LCR
  • glicose no LCR
  • Reação em cadeia da polimerase para enterovírus no LCR
  • Reação em cadeia da polimerase do LCR para herpesvírus
  • sorologia para vírus da imunodeficiência humana (HIV)/transcriptase reversa do HIV (RT)-PCR
Full details

Tests to consider

  • tomografia computadorizada (TC)/ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM) do crânio
  • eletroencefalograma (EEG)
  • cultura viral do LCR
Full details

Emerging tests

  • proteína C-reativa do LCR
  • procalcitonina sérica e do LCR
  • lactato no LCR

Treatment algorithm

INITIAL

possível meningite bacteriana

ACUTE

agente viral confirmado diferente do vírus do herpes simples (HSV), varicela-zóster ou citomegalovírus (CMV)

vírus do herpes simples (HSV) ou varicela-zóster confirmados como agentes causadores

citomegalovírus (CMV) confirmado como agente causador

ONGOING

meningite viral recorrente

Contributors

Authors

John Williams, MRCP, DTM&H
John Williams

Consultant

The James Cook University Hospital

Middlesbrough

UK

Disclosures

JW declares that he has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr John Williams would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr David Chadwick, a previous contributor to this topic. DC is an author of a reference cited in this topic.

Peer reviewers

Karen Roos, MD

John and Nancy Nelson Professor of Neurology

Indiana University School of Medicine

Indianapolis

IN

Divulgaciones

KR declares that she has no competing interests.

Vassiliki Syriopoulou, MD

Professor of Pediatrics

University of Athens

Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital

Athens

Greece

Divulgaciones

VS declares that she has no competing interests.

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Referencias

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Artículos principales

McGill F, Heyderman RS, Michael BD, et al. The UK joint specialist societies guideline on the diagnosis and management of acute meningitis and meningococcal sepsis in immunocompetent adults. J Infect. 2016 Apr;72(4):405-38.Texto completo  Resumen

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral meningitis. May 2021 [internet publication].Texto completo

Miller JM, Binnicker MJ, Campbell S, et al. Guide to utilization of the microbiology laboratory for diagnosis of infectious diseases: 2024 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Mar 5:ciae104.Texto completo  Resumen

Artículos de referencia

Una lista completa de las fuentes a las que se hace referencia en este tema está disponible para los usuarios con acceso a todo BMJ Best Practice.
  • Differentials

    • Bacteriana, meningite
    • Encefalite
    • Encefalopatia (tóxica/metabólica)
    More Differentials
  • Guidelines

    • Guide to utilization of the microbiology laboratory for diagnosis of infectious diseases: 2024 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
    • The UK joint specialist societies guideline on the diagnosis and management of acute meningitis and meningococcal sepsis in immunocompetent adults
    More Guidelines
  • Patient information

    Punção lombar

    More Patient information
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