Listeriosis

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

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

Recent outbreaks have been reported in Australia, where the source was thought to be cantaloupe melons, and in Europe, where the source was reported to be frozen vegetables.

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 (nongastroenteritis) 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