Listeriosis: a primer

Abstract

Serious outbreaks of food-borne illness, whether regional or national, dramatically raise community anxiety about personal health and increase the workloads of front-line physicians. The drama further increases when the of-fending microbe is not well known. This primer on listeriosis hones in on the microbe, the incidence of infection, clinical presentations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The information is based on a MEDLINE search on listeriosis and discussion with experts.