Here, we further highlight the involvement of EGFR in SS2-induced meningitis, by the demonstration that SS2-induced transactivation of EGFR promotes the MAPK-ERK1/2 as well as NF-κB signaling pathways in hBMEC, which subsequently initiates and mediates the inflammatory response in the brain and finally the CNS dysfunction. Here, NFKB1 is linked to meningitis.