- The answer is C: having an immunosuppressed immune system such as undergoing chemotherapy. People who have weakened immune systems are more susceptible to getting any disease because they are unable to effectively fight off the virus. Healthy individuals have an infection-fighting power of an immune system and for someone who is undergoing treatment or taking medications for cancer might not be able to accurately guard the body against foreign invaders. All the other options would help with not obtaining the virus.
- The answer is D: Strep Throat. Viral Meningitis may result from a direct infection of a virus, or it may be secondary to a disease such as measles, mumps, herpes or leukemia. It is NOT preceded by a bacterial infection, such as strep throat. A bacterial infection, specifically in the upper respiratory system or the gastrointestinal tract, may result in bacterial meningitis, which is more severe than the viral form.
- The answer is D: mononuclear pleocytosis in the CSF. Another hallmark of Viral Meningitis is a normal blood glucose level, not high or low. Viral Meningitis causes mild fevers, not high fevers. Headaches associated with Viral Meningitis are usually generalized and hard to pinpoint a location.
- The answer is D: the meninges. The meninges are a membrane covering up the brain and the spinal cord. It consists of three different layers and its primary function is to protect the brain as well as the spinal cord. this is what gets infected and inflamed to cause symptoms. While mucous and hair protect the body from other infections or bacteria, they do not directly and specifically protect the brain and spinal cord. Blood vessels are irrelevant to the question.
- The answer is C: the blood-brain barrier. This barrier is composed of specialized microvascular endothelial cells which normally serve a function to block out large molecules from entering the CSF. It is the last line of defense the body has to protect itself but yet some virus’s, like pneumococcus that causes meningitis, are able to get past it. While all the other options are in fact barriers of the immune system, in order to get to the meninges more specifically the virus will need to pass the blood brain barrier.