Search

Objective To analyze the characteristics of bloodstream infection of Listeria monocytogenes and provide basis for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the cases of Listeria monomyrhosi bloodstream infection in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from April 2012 to April 2022. The age, sex, onset time, underlying disease, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the patients were analyzed, as well as the changes of white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, lymphocytes, and C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after anti-infection treatment. Results Fifty cases of Listeria monocytogenes bloodstream infection confirmed by blood culture were involved. The age of patients ranged from 0 to 82 (43.7±20.0) years old, among whom 20.0% were over 60 years old. The onset time of patients was the highest in spring (44.0%), followed by winter (24.0%), and relatively fewer in summer and autumn (14.0%-18.0%). The median diagnosis time was 3 days (1-60 days). After the etiological diagnosis, 45 patients (90.0%) had underlying diseases or pregnancy status, and 45 patients were adjusted to the target antibacterial treatment mainly with carbapenems (48.9%) and penicillins (44.4%). The level of WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and CRP after treatment were significantly lower than those pre-treatments (P<0.05). Among all patients, 36 cases (72.0%) were treated according to the Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines for Fever Sanford, of which 26 cases (72.2%) were discharged from the hospital, two cases died, one case was transferred to other hospitals, and 7 cases had a poor prognosis. Conclusions Autoimmune diseases, tumor diseases, pregnant patients are susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes infection. Penicillins are the first choice for effective empiric therapy. For the patients allergic to penicillins, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or meropenem could be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]