Invasive listeriosis in Denmark 1994–2003: a review of 299 cases with special emphasis on risk factors for mortality

Abstract

Listeriosis is a rare, but serious, foodborne infection which, in the invasive form, presents as bloodstream (BS) infection, an infection of the central nervous system (CNS), a maternofetal infection or a focal infection. The disease is notifiable in Denmark. This paper reviews the results of the Danish surveillance of invasive listeriosis from 1994 to 2003, excluding maternofetal cases. In total, 299 invasive cases of listeriosis were reported. Two-thirds of the cases were caused by isolates of serogroup 1/2, and one-third by serogroup 4. Most (70%) cases had conditions known to predispose to listeriosis. More patients with BS infection were predisposed because of concurrent underlying illness than were patients with CNS infection. Half of the patients were aged > 70 years, and 21% died of the disease. There was no change in the case fatality rate (CFR) during the 10-year period. The CFR was identical for men and women. BS and CNS infection caused the same incidence of mortality, but no mortality was observed in patients with focal infections at normally sterile body sites. In a multivariate analysis, isolates belonging to serogroup 4 were associated with a higher CFR than were isolates of serogroup 1/2. In patients aged < 70 years, underlying conditions predisposing to disease were related strongly to mortality, which was not the case in patients aged > 70 years. The underlying conditions associated most strongly with mortality in the younger age group were non-haematological malignancies.

Unveiling the Expression Characteristics of IspC, a Cell Wall-Associated Peptidoglycan Hydrolase in Listeria monocytogenes, during Growth under Stress Conditions

“…Serotype 4b strains are also more often isolated from patients with meningoencephalitis than from patients where the infection has been limited to the bloodstream (24). Listeriosis patients also suffer a 26% mortality rate when infected with a serotype 4b strain compared to a 16% mortality rate in patients infected with a serotype 1/2a or 1/2b strain (6). These observations suggest that serotype 4b is more virulent in humans than other serotypes.…”

Comparing listeriosis risks in at-risk populations using a user-friendly quantitative microbial risk assessment tool and epidemiological data

“…a long-term-care facility) led to nearly double the number of cases compared to distribution to a population comprising all ages. This reiterates the importance of both age, and risk factors that accumulate with age, in listeriosis outbreaks [30,[45][46][47]. Individuals aged 565 years are more likely to have at least one additional chronic, often immunosuppressive, condition [27], as was the case in the 2008 listeriosis outbreak [6].…”

Listeria monocytogenes: Informe de un aumento de casos en mujeres embarazadas y revisión de la literatura

“…Durante el embarazo se presenta con fiebre, mialgias, lumbalgia, malestar general y ocasionalmente diarrea, vómitos y dolor abdominal. La enfermedad tiene una fase bacteriémica en la cual se puede diseminar vía transplacentaria y producir una infección fetal intrauterina, corioamnionitis, parto prematuro, muerte fetal in utero o sepsis neonatal precoz [6][7][8] . En Clínica Alemana de Santiago se registran entre uno y tres casos de listeriosis al año, principalmente en pacientes inmunodeprimidos por enfermedades oncológicas.…”

“…Más de 95% de las infecciones en humanos se producen por los serotipos 1/2a, 1/2b y 4b. Este último es el causante de la mayoría de los brotes atribuibles a alimentos contaminados y es el que produce la mayor mortalidad 7 . Nuestros casos en mujeres gestantes fueron todos serotipo 4 lo que, considerando la unidad geográfica de los pacientes, pertenecientes todos a comunas del sector oriente de la capital (sector socioeconómico alto), obliga a descartar una fuente común.…”