An ISU student has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and is in intensive care at Mary Greeley Medical Center, university officials said.James Nelson, director of the Student Health Center, said the student was hospitalized Wednesday and is on antibiotics. Officials at Mary Greeley Medical Center, 1111 Duff Ave., confirmed there was a case at the hospital.Meningitis is an infection of the lining and fluid around the brain and spinal cord, said Mark Shulman, staff physician at the Student Health Center. Meningitis can escalate very rapidly from a fever to a coma and possibly death, Nelson said.”We’re asking, advising students if you don’t feel well to seek medical help,” he said.University officials have contacted the student’s parents and close contacts. Those who worked closely with the patient are currently taking antibiotics, Nelson said.”We’ve gone in and talked to students and brought in the medical staff to explain,” said Thomas Hill, vice president for Student Affairs. “The students are doing really well, partly because we gave them the information. The students reacted very well to it, very calmly.”Shulman said symptoms include a severe fever, and anyone with a temperature of 102 degrees should contact a physician, especially if it reaches 104 degrees. Other symptoms include severe headache, stiff neck, sore throat, sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting.Meningitis is transmitted by respiratory droplets and has to be breathed in, Shulman said.He said meningitis can be spread through close contacts or spending time with the infected person for multiple hours. Other ways to contract the infection are by sharing drinks, eating utensils and toothbrushes or kissing, he said.”Close contacts are not in the classroom,” Hill said.Shulman said the infection could have been carried to campus by someone resistant to it.”Sitting with someone and having a conversation does not put you in close contact with them,” he said.The last meningitis case reported at Iowa State involved a staff member in 1995, said Steve Sullivan, communications manager for ISU News Service.”I think it will scare the campus a little bit,” Shulman said. “I don’t think being aware of it is a bad thing. We just want to help those who are sick.”