Table 1 Causes of an ‘‘aseptic meningitis’’
cerebrospinal fluid picture*
c Partially treated bacterial meningitis
c Viral meningitis
c Tuberculous meningitis
c Spirochaetes: syphilis, Lyme disease, leptospirosis
c Other bacteria—for example, brucellosis, mycoplasma
c Cerebral malaria
c Fungal meningitis
c Parameningeal infection (spinal or intracranial abscess, venous sinus
thrombosis, occult paranasal sinus infection)
c Endocarditis
c Malignant meningitis (carcinoma, lymphoma, leukaemia)
c Subarachnoid haemorrhage
c Chemical meningitis (see text)
c Sarcoidosis
c Other chronic inflammatory diseases (see text)
c Drugs
c Mollaret’s meningitis (see text)
*With certain obvious exceptions (for example, malignant or tuberculous
meningitis), many of these causes are potentially recurrent (see text).