Why is bacterial meningitis worse than viral?
Bacteria can infect the brain and spinal cord, causing absesses. Most commonly bacteria infect the meninges and CNS fluid (spinal fluid). Meningitis provokes an intense inflammitory response with a marked accumulation of White blood cells in the CNSF. If you contract the bacterial type it is quite possible that your nervous system could fail. This can lead to not breathing, heart failure, and overall brain death if not treated effectively. That is why it is so much more deadly then the viral type.
