Adult meningitis caused by herpes viruses
Current research
- Liverpool University, Liverpool, UK
- Researchers:
Dr Bahram Ebrahimi, Dr David McKee, Dr Ed Wilkins, Dr Ian Hart, Dr Nicholas Beeching, Dr Paul Klapper, Prof Mike Levin, Prof Tom Solomon
- Start Date: 22 June 2009
- Type: Lay summary
- View scientific version
Meningitis can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Whilst we know the best treatment for bacterial meningitis, doctors are unclear on the best treatment for viral meningitis as it has been relatively neglected in terms of research.
However, it is still an important cause of illness. Some patients that recover from meningitis keep having further attacks (relapses) for years ahead; others have memory and concentration problems. Herpes viruses (herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 and varicella zoster virus) are among the most common causes of viral meningitis, but other viruses, particularly enteroviruses are also important, and in many patients the cause is not known.
The antiviral drug aciclovir is useful for some diseases caused by herpes viruses, e.g. shingles. However we don’t know if this drug is good for meningitis. Hence some doctors admit all adults with viral meningitis to hospital for aciclovir, whilst others say this is unnecessary and risks side effects. Instead they send patients home.
We will study adults with suspected viral meningitis in the North West Region of England. We will see how much meningitis is due to herpes viruses, how long patients have symptoms, how long it takes to recover and what the costs are to the patient and also to society. We will use new molecular techniques to improve the diagnosis. With better data on herpes virus meningitis, we will also plan a future treatment trial.