Epidemic Listeriosis — Evidence for Transmission by Food

Schlech, Walter F.; Lavigne, Pierre; Bortolussi, Robert; Allen, Ann; Haldane, E. V.; Wort, A. J.; Hightower, Allen W.; Johnson, Scott E.; King, Sylvia; Nicholls, E. S.; Broome, Claire V.

doi:10.1056/nejm198301273080407

Cited by 1,292 publications

(620 citation statements)

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“…In previous outbreaks [11][12][13], CNS listeriosis accounted for 28%, 31%, and 86% of the cases, respectively, and there was a majority of meningitis cases. Variation in case definition may explain the higher proportion of cases of meningoencephalitis but cannot explain the lower number of bacteremia cases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

An Epidemic of Food-Borne Listeriosis in Western Switzerland: Description of 57 Cases Involving Adults

Büla¹,

Billé²,

Glauser³

1995

Clinical Infectious Diseases

217

104

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This article describes 57 cases of listeriosis that occurred in adults in western Switzerland during an outbreak associated with the consumption of a soft cheese. Twenty-one percent of the cases were of bacteremia, 40% were of meningitis, and 39% were of meningoencephalitis. Overall, 42% of the patients had an underlying disease and 54% were >65 years of age. Patients with bacteremia were significantly older than those with meningitis or meningoencephalitis (median ages, 75, 69, and 55 years, respectively). The epidemic strain, defined by phage typing, was isolated in three-quarters of the listerial cases observed during the epidemic period and did not appear to differ significantly from the nonepidemic strains in terms of virulence. The overall mortality associated with the 57 cases was 32%. Among the patients' characteristics, age and type of clinical presentation were independent predictors of death in a multivariate logistic regression model (pseudo-fa' [coefficient of determination], .26; both P values <.05), and a presentation of meningoencephalitis was associated with an increased death risk (odds ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-39.5; P < .05). Neurological sequelae developed in 30% of the survivors of CNS listeriosis.From 1974 to 1982, 28 cases of human listeriosis (an equal number of maternofetal infections and cases involving nonpregnant adults) occurred in western Switzerland. During the winter of 1983-1984, the number of cases of listeriosis increased, and the disease occurred in a surprisingly large number of relatively young and previously healthy patients. A common origin was suspected [1] but could not be identified by a preliminary case-control study. A similar increase in cases of listeriosis occurred again the following winters. In 1987, a third case-control study established the association (odds ratio [OR], 8.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8-22.6; P < .05) with the consumption of a locally produced Swiss soft cheese (Vacherin Mont d'Or), which is eaten in winter months only. Two epidemic-associated strains of Listeria monocytogenes (serotype 4b) with particular phage types were isolated from the majority of patients, from the incriminated cheese, and from the factories' environments [2].From 1983 to 1987 the annual incidence of human listeriosis increased from 5 to 50 cases per one million people. During this 5-year period, a total of 122 cases occurred. Sixty-five cases occurred in newborn infants and pregnant women, and 57 cases in nonpregnant adults. We describe the clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and outcome in those 57 cases. Patients and MethodsPatients. All patients included in the study were >18 years of age, and L. monocytogenes was isolated from either their blood or their CSF at the Bacteriology Laboratory of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland) between January 1983 and December 1987. Most patients (77%) were initially hospitalized in this facility, which is a 1,200-bed university-affiliated tertiary care center for t...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

An Epidemic of Food-Borne Listeriosis in Western Switzerland: Description of 57 Cases Involving Adults

Büla¹,

Billé²,

Glauser³

1995

Clinical Infectious Diseases

217

104

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“…It was first isolated from a human patient with meningitis in France in 1921 (Dumont and Cotoni, 1921) and thereafter from a wide range of mammalian and non-mammalian species worldwide (Murray et al, 1926;Low and Donachie, 1997). Although an association between listeriosis in animals and the ingestion of contaminated feed had already been suggested in the 1960s, it was not until the 1980s that L. monocytogenes was recognized as a causative agent of food-borne outbreaks in humans (Schlech et al, 1983). Since then, it has been associated with a wide range of different foodstuffs, including two types of Swiss soft cheese (Büla et al, 1995;McLauchlin, 1996;Bille et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listeria monocytogenes infection in ruminants: Is there a link to the environment, food and human health? A review

Walland¹,

Lauper²,

Frey³

et al. 2015

SAT

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Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment, but also has the ability to cause serious invasive disease in ruminants and humans. This review provides an overview of listeriosis in ruminants and discusses our insufficient understanding of reservoirs and possible cycling ofL. monocytogenes between animal and human hosts, food and the environment. It indicates gaps in our knowledge of the role of genetic subtypes in L. monocytogenes ecology and virulence as well as risk factors, in vivo diagnostics and pathogenesis of listeriosis in ruminants. Filling these gaps will contribute to improving the control of L. monocytogenes and enhancing disease prevention. As the prevalence of listeriosis in ruminants in Switzerland is likely to be underestimated, propositions concerning improvement options for surveillance of listeriosis in ruminants are provided. Summary Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment, but also has the ability to cause serious invasive disease in ruminants and humans. This review provides an overview of listeriosis in ruminants and discusses our insufficient understanding of reservoirs and possible cycling of L. monocytogenes between animal and human hosts, food and the environment. It indicates gaps in our knowledge of the role of genetic subtypes in L. monocytogenes ecology and virulence as well as risk factors, in vivo diagnostics and pathogenesis of listeriosis in ruminants. Filling these gaps will contribute to improving the control of L. monocytogenes and enhancing disease prevention. As the prevalence of listeriosis in ruminants in Switzerland is likely to be underestimated, propositions concerning improvement options for surveillance of listeriosis in ruminants are provided.

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“…The causative agent of listeriosis is ubiquitous in the environment. It has been recognized as an animal pathogen since the 1920s, and in the past two decades it has been implicated in numerous outbreaks of food-borne illness in humans [1,32]. Some sections of the population are predisposed to development of listeriosis due to the presence of chronic illness, suppression of the immune system, pregnancy, 590 J.M.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avirulence of Viable But Non-Culturable Listeria monocytogenes cells demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo models

et al. 2005

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-The virulence of Viable But Non-Culturable (VBNC) cells of 4 strains of Listeria monocytogenes was investigated in both a human adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29) and a mouse model. LO 28, ATCC 19115 and CNL 895807 strains of Listeria monocytogenes became VBNC when incubated in microcosm water at 20 °C and Scott A strain at 4 °C. No culturable bacteria were detected in the VBNC state, although 10 4 active cells/mL were found by the Direct Viable Count (DVC) and CTC-DAPI double staining methods. A comparison of virulence in both human adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 and the mouse model showed that culturable controls were more virulent than VBNC cells, which appeared to be avirulent regardless of the virulence methods applied. Pathogenicity was tested in each model and was lost concomitantly with culturability, whereas some cells were still metabolically active (determined by CTC and DVC). Moreover, amplification of a 388 bp fragment with Immunocapture-PCR revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes DNA in all mixed spleen samples after intravenous injection of VBNC cells. These results demonstrate that VBNC cells were present in the mouse spleens. The results of the study suggest that Listeria monocytogenes strains might remain in the aquatic environment for prolonged periods in the VBNC state but these cells were not pathogenic in the conditions tested. These findings demonstrate the value of VBNC studies and show the need to investigate the role of VBNC cells in environmental transmission of Listeria monocytogenes. Further studies are needed in order to investigate the virulence of VBNC cells of Listeria monocytogenes after recovery of a culturable state. VBNC / virulence / Listeria monocytogenes / plaque forming assay

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Epidemic Listeriosis — Evidence for Transmission by Food

Cited by 1,292 publications

References 2 publications

An Epidemic of Food-Borne Listeriosis in Western Switzerland: Description of 57 Cases Involving Adults

An Epidemic of Food-Borne Listeriosis in Western Switzerland: Description of 57 Cases Involving Adults

Listeria monocytogenes infection in ruminants: Is there a link to the environment, food and human health? A review

Avirulence of Viable But Non-Culturable Listeria monocytogenes cells demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo models

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