Infections of the central nervous system

The brain can be infected by innumerable agents from prions to worms. Most diagnoses are made by microbiology following clinical and imaging investigations. Pathologists get involved with biopsies and autopsy scenarios; many are straightforward but some are difficult, and we must involve microbiology – including molecular diagnostics – appropriately. Optimum protocols of sampling need to be developed for meningo-encephalitis diagnostics. New scenarios of infectious encephalitis are still emerging, e.g. with changing treatment for HIV disease. The autoimmune encephalitides are emerging as a major differential diagnosis with infection.