Insights Into the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Tubercular Meningitis

The cause of tuberculosis (TB) is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It remains a global health burden in developing and developed countries. TB meningitis (TBM) can occur when M. tuberculosis spreads to other organs, such as the brain and meninges, despite its primary role as a respiratory infection. The most serious type of tuberculosis is called tuberculous meningitis (TBM). One of the most severe clinical signs of tuberculosis (TB) is the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS), which occurs in 5–10% of extrapulmonary TB patients and makes up around 1% of all TB case. TBM has a significant death rate (20–50%) even when it is identified early and treated with the right antibiotics. Traditional techniques, like the culture of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on smears, remain the gold standard for diagnosing TBM.