IVCA Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Study Resource

Meningitis causes irritation of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord, leading to a classic sign of meningeal irritation: neck stiffness. When the neck is flexed, the inflamed meninges cause pain and resistance, so the cervical region becomes rigid. While seizures can occur as the CNS becomes more irritable and vomiting can accompany intracranial disease, these signs are less specific to meningitis. Lameness is not related to meningeal irritation. Therefore, cervical rigidity is the sign most commonly observed with bacterial meningitis.