To the Editor: Meningitis caused by Listeria monocytogenes is rare in immunocompetent adults.1 In the absence of risk factors for L. monocytogenes infection, Australian antibiotic guidelines recommend a third-generation cephalosporin alone for management of community-acquired meningitis, which has no activity against L. monocytogenes.2
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- 1. Farber JM, Peterkin PI. Listeria monocytogenes, a food-borne pathogen. Microbiol Rev 1991: 55; 476-511.
- 2. Antibiotic Expert Group. Therapeutic guidelines: antibiotic. Version 14. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited, 2010.
- 3. Mylonakis E, Hohmann EL, Calderwood SB. Central nervous system infection with Listeria monocytogenes. 33 years’ experience at a general hospital and review of 776 episodes from the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 1998; 77: 313-336.
- 4. Amaya-Villar R, Garcia-Cabrera E, Sulleiro-Igual E, et al. Three-year multicenter surveillance of community-acquired Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in adults. BMC Infect Dis 2010; 10: 324.
- 5. Mook P, O’Brien SJ, Gillespie IA. Concurrent conditions and human listeriosis, England, 1999-2009. Emerg Infect Dis 2011; 17: 38-43.
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We thank Jenny Wong of Dorevitch Pathology, Western Health, for laboratory assistance.
No relevant disclosures.