The pathophysiology of fungal meningitis is not very well studied however, it is known to have a lot of similarities with bacterial meningitis. Fungal meningitis usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. The initial step in fungal meningitis is the pulmonary exposure to the fungi by the inhalation of airborne fungal spores. The pulmonary infection is usually self limited and maybe asymptomatic. Fungal infections are not contagious so they do not spread from one person to another.With an associated impaired immune response the fungus may disseminate. For instance in cryptococcal infection, the fungus may remain dormant in the lungs until the immune system weakens and then can reactivate and disseminate to the CNS. Cryptococcus has predilection for CNS dessimination. Although this remains unclear, the presence of a receptor on glial cells for a ligand on the organism has been suggested to enhance its invasion. Cryptococcal meningitis is most common due to the virulence factors of the organism that enhance invasion of the blood brain barrier. These factors include: polysaccharide capsule which makes the organism withstand  phagocytosis and host immune system, melanin production, ability to thrive at mammalian body temperatures, urease production and phospholipase production. Once the fungi cross the blood brain barrier they cause an inflammation of the meninges and arachnoid space. The inflammation promotes cytokine release mainly tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1,  interleukin 2 , interleukin 6,  interleukin 12,  colony-stimulating factors, and interferon-λ. The cytokines lead to modulation of host system resuting in fever, increase in the permeability of the blood brain barrier and subsequent cerebral edema and increase in the intracranial pressure. The increase in the permeability of the blood brain barrier is the cause of the observed elevation of the protein level in the cerebral spinal fluid.
Fungal meningitis pathophysiology
Neoplastic meningitis pathophysiology
Viral meningitis pathophysiology
Bacterial meningitis pathophysiology
Viral encephalitis pathophysiology
Fungal meningitis risk factors
Meningococcemia pathophysiology
Fungal meningitis causes