Meningitis & Encephalitis
Also: meningococcal disease · encephalitis
Meningitis and encephalitis are infections of the lining and substance of the brain — time-critical emergencies where rapid recognition and antibiotics (and antivirals) are life-saving.
The relevant tools, empirical drugs and pathways are gathered here.
Calculators & scores
- Bacterial Meningitis Score for ChildrenPaediatric Infectious Disease
- Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) CalculatorHaematology
- Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Collection Target CalculatorStem Cell Transplant
- Rule of 7s for Lyme Neuroborreliosis in ChildrenInfectious Neurology
- Autoimmune Encephalitis Probability ScoreEncephalitis
- Febrile Seizure Risk StratificationSeizures / Neurology
Decision pathways
Drugs
- Dexamethasone (ICU / ARDS)Systemic Corticosteroid
- CeftriaxoneThird-generation cephalosporin
- Benzylpenicillin (Penicillin G)Beta-lactam antibiotic (natural penicillin)
- DexamethasonePotent Systemic Corticosteroid
- Amoxicillin (Otitis Media / Sinusitis)Beta-lactam antibiotic
- Aciclovir 800mg Tablets (Ramsay Hunt Syndrome / Herpes Zoster Oticus)Antiviral — nucleoside analogue (herpes zoster treatment)
- Dexamethasone with framycetin sulfate and gramicidinCorticosteroid + aminoglycoside + polypeptide antibiotic
- Dexamethasone with glacial acetic acid and neomycin sulfateTopical otic spray (steroid + acidifier + aminoglycoside)
- AmoxicillinAntibiotic (Penicillin)
- AciclovirAntiviral
- Co-amoxiclav (Amoxicillin/Clavulanate)Beta-lactam + beta-lactamase inhibitor
- Benzathine BenzylpenicillinLong-Acting Penicillin — Syphilis / Rheumatic Fever Prophylaxis
Decision support only. These tools are aggregated by topic to aid navigation — always apply clinical judgement and the relevant national or local guideline.