ALB and meningitis: In 2004, the Center for Disease Control guidelines defined severe cases as temperature > 39.8 °C, systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg, pO2 < 70 mmHg, weight loss > 5%, Karnofsky performance score < 70, hemoglobin < 10 g/dL, neutrophil count < 1000 cells/mL, platelet count < 100,000 mL, aspartate aminotransferase > 2.5 times normal, bilirubin or creatinine > two times the normal rate, albumin < 3.5 g/dL, coagulopathy, presence of other organ system dysfunction, or confirmed meningitis [11].