Listeriosis

Abstract

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is an infrequent cause of illness in the general population. However, in some groups, including neonates, pregnant women, elderly persons, and those with impaired cell-mediated immunity due to underlying disease or immunosuppressive therapy, it is an important cause of life-threatening bacteremia and meningoencephalitis (Lorber 1997; Bucholz and Mascola 2001; Wing and Gregory 2002). Increasing interest in this organism has resulted from food-borne outbreaks, concerns about food safety, and the recognition that food-borne infection may result in self-limited febrile gastroenteritis as well as invasive disease. Separate from its immediate clinical relevance, the study of listeriosis has provided insights into bacterial pathogenesis and the role of cell-mediated immunity in resistance to infection with intracellular pathogens.