Can meningitis cause hypotonia in infants?

Possibly: Meningitis can damage the brain and cause problems in tone, but only certain types of meningitis carry a significant risk of brain damage. If meningitis does injur the brain, the baby may be hypotonic at first, but with time, the tone usually increases and the child becomes hypertonic. Persistent hypotonia is usually a sign of other neurologic or metabolic problems.