Hello, meningitis can be caused by various pathogens. Most of them are contagious - some more than others. Viruses are generally more contagious than bacteria. Contracting either a virus or a bacterium does not necessarily mean that the new host will get meningitis though. Many bacteria and viruses may cause a variety of infections. For example some viruses which usually cause gastroenteritis may also cause meningitis. Contracting such a virus from a patient with meningitis is more likely to present with gastroenteritis. In any case if you d like to reduce the risk of transmission then you d better avoid close contact with your mother. Identification of the virus will help a lot to determine the risk of transmission and to estimate the time you may be carrying the pathogen before you can be considered virus-free. I hope I ve answered your question. Please let me know if you need further assistance. Kind Regards, Dr Zografakis Panagiotis