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Introduction: Listeriosis is a severe food-borne disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes infection. The data of listeriosis in Xi'an population are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical features and fatality risk factors for listeriosis in three tertiary-care hospitals in Xi'an, China Methods: The characteristics of demographic data, underlying diseases, clinical manifestations, laboratory indicators, cranial imaging examination, antibiotics therapeutic schemes, and clinical outcomes were collected between 2011 and 2023. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: Seventy-one etiologically confirmed listeriosis patients were enrolled, including 12 neonatal and 59 non-neonatal cases. The majority of neonatal listeriosis presented as preterm (50%) and fetal distress (75%). The main clinical manifestations of non-neonatal listeriosis included fever (88%), headache (32%), disorder of consciousness (25%), vomiting (17%), abdominal pain (12%), and convulsions (8%). The fatality rate in neonatal cases was higher than in non-neonatal listeriosis (42 vs. 17%). Although no deaths were reported in maternal listeriosis, only two of 23 patients had an uneventful obstetrical outcome. Five maternal listeriosis delivered culture-positive neonates, three of whom decreased within 1 week post-gestation due to severe complications. Twenty-eight cases were neurolisteriosis and 43 cases were bacteremia. Neurolisteriosis had a higher fatality rate compared with bacteremia listeriosis (36 vs. 12%). The main neuroradiological images were cerebral edema/hydrocephalus, intracranial infection, and cerebral hernia. Listeria monocytogenes showed extremely low resistance to ampicillin (two isolates) and penicillin (one isolate). The fatality risk factors were the involvement of the central nervous system, hyperbilirubinemia, and hyponatremia for all enrolled subjects. Hyperuricemia contributed to the elevation of fatality risk in non-neonatal listeriosis. Conclusions: When the patients suffered with symptoms of fever and central nervous system infection, they should be alert to the possibility of listeriosis. Early administration of ampicillin- or penicillin-based therapy might be beneficial for recovery of listeriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study compared knowledge and food-handling behavior after pathogen-specific (experimental treatment) versus basic food safety instruction (active control) presented during nutrition education classes for low-income English- and Spanish-language pregnant women. Methods Subjects (n = 550) were randomly assigned to treatment groups in two different locations in the United States. Food safety instruction was part of an 8-lesson curriculum. Food safety knowledge and behavior were measured pre/post intervention. Descriptive data were analyzed by Chi-Square or ANOVA; changes after intervention were analyzed by regression analysis. Results Knowledge improved after intervention in the pathogen-specific treatment group compared to active control, especially among Spanish-language women. Behavior change after intervention for the pathogen-specific treatment group improved for thermometer usage, refrigeration and consumption of foods at high risk for safety; however, all other improvements in behavior were accounted for by intervention regardless of treatment group. As expected, higher pre-instruction behavioral competency limited potential gain in behavior post-instruction due to a ceiling effect. This effect was more dominant among English-language women. Improvements were also linked to formal education completed, a partner at home, and other children in the home. Conclusions for Practice This study demonstrated that pathogen-specific food safety instruction leads to enhance knowledge and food handling behaviors that may improve the public health of pregnant women and their unborn children, especially among Spanish-language women. More importantly, food safety instruction, even at the most basic level, benefited pregnant women's food safety knowledge and food-handling behavior after intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intestinal tract is the major portal of entry for Listeria monocytogenes, which becomes ingested via contaminated food. The pathogenic strains penetrate the mucosal tissue either directly, via engulfment by enterocytes, or indirectly, via active penetration of the Peyer's patches. There are now several reports clearly demonstrating that, in some cases, acute enteritis may be the only symptom of Listeria infection or may precede the typical symptoms of listeriosis such as sepsis and meningitis or encephalitis. Therefore, Listeria monocytogenes should be included in the list of foodborne gastrointestinal pathogens. Furthermore, a history of enteritis should prompt the physician to include listeriosis, which is often difficult to diagnose, in the differential diagnosis. Although Listeria monocytogenes is undoubtedly a potential enteric pathogen, it is still debatable whether its detection in a routine bacteriological examination of a stool specimen is of clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes causes a rare, life-threatening infection in recipients of transplanted organs. We used cultures of blood and cerebrospinal fluid to characterize isolates and to distinguish cases in clusters from what might have been sporadic cases. From December 1994 to November 1995, six systemic L. monocytogenes infections occurred at our renal-transplantation unit. We confirmed the clinical diagnosis with blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures and characterized the isolates retrospectively with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), phage-typing, and serotyping. We also performed an environmental investigation (food, drug, and stool). We took samples after the first two L. monocytogenes infections and then after cases three and four occurred. All patients recovered completely, and no graft was lost. Four patients had identical or genetically related L. monocytogenes isolates in PFGE (type A) and serotyping (type 1/2b). The other two had PFGE type B and G. L. monocytogenes was not detected in food or drug samples from patients on the renal- transplantation ward or in stool samples from the ward staff. It was concluded that PFGE allows sporadic cases and cluster cases of L. monocytogenes infection to be distinguished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From December 1994 to November 1995 an unusual accumulation of Listeria infections occurred at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. Eleven immunosuppressed patients from different departments developed septicemia due to Listeria monocytogenes during hospitalization. In a retrospective study, serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed that six isolates were identical or genetically related. Four of them had been isolated from renal transplant recipients. Listeria monocytogenes was neither detected in food samples of the renal transplantation ward, nor in stool specimens obtained from the ward staff. There had been no close contacts among the infected patients. Before transplantation, the renal transplant recipients had been dialysed in different dialysis centers. Nosocomial foodborne transmission could not be proven but seems likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeriosis is an uncommon infection, but when it occurs it carries a high mortality rate. Early diagnosis is essential and thereafter appropriate antimicrobial chemotherapy. Ampicillin or penicillin plus gentamicin remains the treatment of choice for most manifestations of listeriosis, and adequate doses must be given, i.e. greater than 6 g/day of ampicillin or penicillin. Co-trimoxazole appears to be an excellent alternative agent with good penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid. Vancomycin is an appropriate agent for the treatment of primary bacteraemia but does not cross the bloodbrain barrier sufficiently well to be useful in meningitis, while erythromycin may be used to treat listeriosis in cases of pregnancy. Treatment of bacteraemia requires one to two weeks' therapy, while meningitis cases may need to be treated for longer; for example, it has been found that most patients with acute meningitis in the UK were treated for 20 days. Infective endocarditis needs treatment for six to eight weeks. Doses should be varied with patients' altered organ function and antimicrobial serum monitoring performed when appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]