{"id":4949,"date":"2022-07-25T16:32:50","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T04:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.awanuilabs.co.nz\/central\/wellington\/?page_id=4949"},"modified":"2023-04-20T12:35:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T00:35:02","slug":"listeria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.awanuilabs.co.nz\/central\/wellington\/for-referrers\/microbiology\/how-do-i-diagnose\/listeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Listeria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Infection:<\/strong> Listeria, Listeriosis, <em>Listeria monocytogenes<\/em> infection<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Brief description:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A rare bacterial infection caused by <em>L. monocytogenes <\/em>which can cause severe disease<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exposure is via consumption of contaminated foods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The main maternal presentations are with bloodstream infection, which presents with fever +\/- \u2018flu-like illness\u2019, or less commonly meningitis\/meningoencephalitis. May be preceded by a diarrhoeal illness (in ~1\/4 of cases).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High risk of transmission to fetus if infection during pregnancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Did you know?<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Typically associated with soft cheeses, deli foods, but can contaminate quite a wide range of foods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can survive in harsh environmental conditions and replicate at refrigerator temperature. This is why foods that aren\u2019t cooked immediately prior to consumption or that have extended refrigerated shelf lives after processing are often higher risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Diagnostic approach:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p>Testing should be undertaken in pregnant women with risk factors for infection who present with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Systemic febrile illnesses without clear alternative source, especially if preceded by diarrhoeal illness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meningitis or meningoencephalitis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Testing should be undertaken in neonates born to mothers with listeriosis during pregnancy (even if well).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Antenatal diagnosis (possible maternal listeriosis):<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Systemic febrile illnesses: 2-3 sets of <strong>blood cultures<\/strong>, ideally prior to antibiotics\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Excellent <strong>specificity<\/strong> &#8211; a positive blood culture <strong>confirms<\/strong> the diagnosis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uncertain <strong>sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; due to the <strong>lack of a gold standard comparison<\/strong> it is difficult to estimate, however taking 2-3 sets of cultures will optimise sensitivity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meningitis or meningoencephalitis: Gram stain and <strong>culture of CSF<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unlike other forms of bacterial meningitis, a <strong>lymphocyte<\/strong> <strong>predominance<\/strong> may be seen in the CSF, and the white cell count may only be <strong>modestly elevated<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CSF culture\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Excellent <strong>specificity<\/strong> &#8211; positive result <strong>confirms<\/strong> the diagnosis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Good <strong>sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; negative result makes diagnosis <strong>unlikely<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PCR on CSF is also becoming increasingly available.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Data are still accumulating in clinical practise, however PCR may have:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Slightly better sensitivity<\/strong> than culture, especially if prior effective antibiotic exposure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Similar specificity<\/strong> to culture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We don\u2019t currently recommend PCR as the standard test for <em>Listeria<\/em>, however if there is high clinical suspicion then this should be<strong> discussed with a clinical microbiologist<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\"><strong>Postnatal diagnosis (infants born to mothers with listeriosis during pregnancy):<\/strong><\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Testing is the same regardless of whether neonate is well\/unwell<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CSF culture<\/strong><ul><li>Excellent <strong>specificity<\/strong> &#8211; positive result <strong>confirms<\/strong> the diagnosisGood <strong>sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; negative result makes diagnosis <strong>unlikely<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PCR<\/strong> on <strong>CSF<\/strong> is also becoming increasingly available.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Data are still accumulating in clinical practise, however PCR may have:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Slightly better sensitivity<\/strong> than culture, especially if prior effective antibiotic exposure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Blood cultures<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Placental<\/strong> testing (must note maternal history of <em>Listeria<\/em> on request form):<ul><li>Examine for granulomas<\/li><\/ul><ul><li><strong>Histology<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Culture<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bacterial<\/strong> <strong>swabs<\/strong> for culture of any granulomas e.g. placenta, cord, neonate\u2019s throat, skin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Tests to avoid \/ specialist tests:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Stool testing<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There are no reliable protocols for stool testing for <em>Listeria<\/em>, and the clinical significance of finding it in stool is uncertain, so testing is not offered or recommended.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Additional neonatal testing<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This should be done under specialist guidance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the situation of a neonate born to a mother with <em>Listeria<\/em> infection during pregnancy, the <strong>placenta should usually be examined and cultured<\/strong>. It is important to note the maternal history of <em>Listeria<\/em> on the request form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-accordion ab-block-accordion\"><details><summary class=\"ab-accordion-title\">Other considerations:<\/summary><div class=\"ab-accordion-text\">\n<p>Listeriosis is a notifiable disease.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Infection: Listeria, Listeriosis, Listeria monocytogenes infection","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":4222,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-left-sidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4949","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Listeria &#8211; Awanui Labs - Wellington<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.awanuilabs.co.nz\/central\/wellington\/for-referrers\/microbiology\/how-do-i-diagnose\/listeria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Listeria &#8211; 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