Listeria monocytogenesInfection in Israel and Review of Cases Worldwide

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes, an uncommon foodborne pathogen, is increasingly recognized as a cause of life-threatening disease. A marked increase in reported cases of listeriosis during 1998 motivated a retrospective nationwide survey of the infection in Israel. From 1995 to 1999, 161 cases were identified; 70 (43%) were perinatal infections, with a fetal mortality rate of 45%. Most (74%) of the 91 nonperinatal infections involved immunocompromised patients with malignancies, chronic liver disease, chronic renal failure, or diabetes mellitus. The common clinical syndromes in these patients were primary bacteremia (47%) and meningitis (28%). The crude case-fatality rate in this group was 38%, with a higher death rate in immunocompromised patients.

Listeriosis: a primer

“…5 Countries with surveillance programs have reported rates of infection from 0.6 to 6.2 cases per million, with countries having active surveillance programs reporting the highest incidence. 5,[7][8][9][10][11] The case-fatality rates vary from country to country, but invariably the highest mortality is among newborns with infection acquired from their mothers (25%-50%). Mortality among those over 60 years of age is also high (10%-20%).…”

CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides Enhance Neonatal Resistance to Listeria Infection

“…Neonatal L. monocytogenes infection can have grave consequences, with mortality from disseminated infection ranging from 42 to 72% despite appropriate antibiotic therapy (2)(3)(4)(5). In adults, rapid activation of the innate immune system limits the early spread of infectious pathogens such as Listeria, allowing the host to subsequently mount a sterilizing adaptive immune response (6,7).…”

Comparison between Listeria monocytogenes single and multipathogen detection methods

“…Mais de 25% das produções alimentares em todo o mundo são perdidas todos os anos devido a contaminação alimentar [2] . Listeria monocytogenes é uma importante bactéria que causa a listeriose, uma doença com altas taxas de mortalidade (20-30%) que afeta principalmente pacientes imunocomprometidos [3] . Uma vez que L. monocytogenes pode crescer em vá-rios grupos de alimentos, a pronta detecção e o controle desse patógeno são essenciais para prevenir outros problemas relacionados à saúde [4] .…”

“…Over 25% of food productions worldwide are lost every year due to food contaminations [2] . Listeria monocytogenes is an important bacterium that causes listeriosis, a foodborne disease with high mortality rates (20-30%) that affects mainly immunocompromised patients [3] . Since L. monocytogenes can grow in several food groups, the early detection and control of this pathogen are essential to prevent further health-related issues [4] .…”