Antipsychotic meds found to be effective against bacteria that cause meningitis

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in France has found that a class of antipsychotic drugs known as phenothiazines was successful in treating a form of meningitis in mice when used with antibacterial agents. In their paper published in the journal Nature Microbiology, the group describes experiments they conducted with meningitis mouse models and what they found. Meningitis is not a disease, but a condition caused by viral, bacterial or fungal infections. The condition occurs when infections result in swelling of the meninges (membranes that cover the brain and spinal column). Different types of infectious agents can result in different degrees of danger to a patient. One agent, a kind of bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis, is well known for the severity of its infections—typically, 10 percent of people die from it. In this new effort, the researchers report on experiments they conducted with a class of antipsychotic medicines that allowed antibacterial agents to perform better against Neisseria meningitidis.