A lumbar puncture is done on an infant suspected to have meningitis. If the infant has bacterial meningitis, the nurse would expect the cerebral spinal fluid to show what result?

A. An elevated red blood cell count is not a typical finding in bacterial meningitis. An increase in red blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is more indicative of a traumatic lumbar puncture or hemorrhage. B. A decreased white cell count would not be expected in bacterial meningitis. Bacterial infections typically lead to an increase in white blood cell count as part of the immune response to fight the infection. C. An elevated white blood cell count is a hallmark of bacterial meningitis. This finding indicates an immune response in the CSF to the presence of bacteria. The cells are primarily neutrophils in bacterial infections. D. A normal glucose level is not expected in bacterial meningitis. Glucose is typically decreased due to the consumption of glucose by bacteria and white blood cells in the CSF.