Epidemiological spectrum and current treatment of listeriosis

To reassess the epidemiology and treatment of listeriosis in the United States, we reviewed greater than 120 cases of listeriosis from four medical centers in three geographically separated cities: Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC-USCMC); Rush-Presbyterian-St....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReviews of infectious diseases Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 1108
Main Authors Cherubin, C E, Appleman, M D, Heseltine, P N, Khayr, W, Stratton, C W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.1991
Subjects
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use
Chicago - epidemiology
Female
Fetal Diseases - drug therapy
Fetal Diseases - epidemiology
Humans
Incidence
Infant, Newborn
Listeriosis - drug therapy
Listeriosis - epidemiology
Los Angeles - epidemiology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - drug therapy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Seasons
Tennessee - epidemiology
Chicago
Tennessee
Los Angeles
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Summary:To reassess the epidemiology and treatment of listeriosis in the United States, we reviewed greater than 120 cases of listeriosis from four medical centers in three geographically separated cities: Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC-USCMC); Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago; the University of Illinois Hospital, Chicago; and Vanderbilt University Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee. The epidemiological pattern at LAC-USCMC was relatively narrow; more than two-thirds of the cases occurred during the perinatal period. Cases at Vanderbilt University Hospital represented the opposite end of the spectrum; the majority of these occurred in nonpregnant, older adults who had received organ transplants. An intermediate pattern of cases was observed at the two medical centers in Chicago. Potential risk factors included pregnancy, neonatal status, organ transplantation, renal failure, malignancy, systemic lupus erythematosus, steroid therapy, and AIDS (two cases). Antimicrobial agents noted to be effective were, as expected, penicillin and ampicillin; the cephalosporins were ineffective. The mortality associated with listeriosis occurred mainly among premature infants and stillbirths delivered from infected pregnant women and was markedly less among neonates and adults.
ISSN:0162-0886