Listeriosis

Listeriosis is a gram-positive bacterial infection that primarily affects neonates, pregnant women, adults over 45 to 50 years of age, and immunocompromised people.

It is mainly a food-borne disease. Prevention consists of hand hygiene, cooking food well, and avoiding unwashed and leftover food.

Outbreaks have been reported worldwide, with the reported source of contamination including cantaloupe melons, frozen vegetables, and chilled pork.

Bacteremia, sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, brain abscess, endocarditis, and gastroenteritis are the most common clinical manifestations.

Cultures from clinically sterile sites and serologic tests are the keys for laboratory diagnosis.

Ampicillin is the preferred drug for initial treatment for systemic (non-gastroenteritis) manifestations. Gastroenteritis alone is usually self-limited.

Listeriosis is a food-borne infection caused by a motile, nonspore-forming, gram-positive bacillus. Its incidence is relatively low in the general population.[1]Mylonakis E, Hofmann EL, Calderwood SB. Central nervous system infection with Listeria monocytogenes. 33 years' experience at a general hospital and review of 776 episodes from the literature. Medicine (Baltimore). 1998 Sep;77(5):313-36. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9772921?tool=bestpractice.com