Brief reportLow virulence but potentially fatal outcome—Listeria ivanovii
Introduction
Of the six known species of Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes is classified as the only human pathogen causing listeriosis, a highly fatal, opportunistic infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food [1]. Clinical manifestations of invasive listeriosis are usually severe and include abortion, sepsis, and meningoencephalitis.
Listeria ivanovii is the only other pathogenic species of the genus and is considered to be specific to ruminants, except for extremely rare cases of infection in humans. The vast majority of reported isolations of this species are from abortions, stillbirths, and neonatal septicemias in sheep and cattle [1]. L. ivanovii was reported to be responsible for 8% of all animal listeriosis; L. monocytogenes accounted for the remainder [2].
To the best of our knowledge, only six cases of L. ivanovii infections in humans have been documented in the medical literature since it was first isolated in Bulgaria in 1955 [1], [2], [3]. The two most recent cases were both in patients with AIDS; details regarding the other cases are unavailable as they were either very old or non-English publications.
Section snippets
Case report
A 64-year-old man presented with complaints of groin pain and dark urine voiding. His physical examination was unremarkable. No hepatosplenomegaly or lymphadenopathy was noted.
Laboratory tests revealed abnormal liver findings including AST 226 U/l, ALT 296 U/l, GGT 434 U/l, LDH 1378 U/l, total bilirubin 1.1 mg/dl, and direct bilirubin 1 mg/dl. Complete blood count, urinolysis, coagulogram, and kidney function were all normal.
As part of the investigation, computed tomography of the abdomen was
Discussion
Listeria spp. are widespread in nature and many foods are contaminated with them. They have been recovered from raw vegetables, raw milk, fish, poultry, and meats. Thus, ingestion of Listeria must be an exceedingly common occurrence, and infection most likely begins following ingestion of the organism in contaminated food.
Listeria crosses the mucosal barrier of the intestine and, once in the bloodstream, may disseminate hematogenously to any site. The liver is thought to be the first target
References (6)
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Listeria ivanovii infection in a patient with AIDS
J Infect
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Listeria ivanovii infection
J Infect
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Listeria species in raw and ready-to-eat foods from restaurants
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Cited by (48)
Bio-Plex suspension array immuno-detection of Listeria monocytogenes from cantaloupe and packaged salad using virulence protein inducing activated charcoal enrichment media
2019, Food MicrobiologyCitation Excerpt :Testing of 25 non-Listeria bacterial pathogens also failed to produce MFI values above the positive threshold which highlights the highly specific quality of the assay. L. ivanovii and non-pathogenic Listeria species are often found in various food matrices and are capable, although very rarely, of initiating human infection (Cummins et al., 1994; Guillet et al., 2010; Liu, 2013; Snapir et al., 2006; Rocourt et al., 1986). However, L. ivanovii is more commonly recognized as a potential source of infection in ruminants which can result in substantial economic loss in the livestock industry (Alexander et al., 1992; Chand and Sadana, 1999; Gill et al., 1997; Sergeant et al., 1991; Ramage et al., 1999).
The mode of action of bacteriocin CHQS, a high antibacterial activity bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis TG2
2019, Food ControlCitation Excerpt :L. ivanovii had been considered to only infect ruminants. In recent years, although L. monocytogenes is the major cause of human listeriosis, a few medical cases proved that L. ivanovii can also cause bacteremia in immune compromised, debilitated patients (Snapir, Vaisbein, & Nassar, 2006; Guillet, Join-Lambert, Monnier, et al., 2010). L. ivanovii only has low virulence towards humans.
Genome analysis of Listeria ivanovii strain G770 that caused a deadly aortic prosthesis infection
2016, New Microbes and New InfectionsMagnetic bead based immuno-detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii from infant formula and leafy green vegetables using the Bio-Plex suspension array system
2015, Food MicrobiologyCitation Excerpt :There are currently 15 known species of Listeria of which only L. monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii are generally considered pathogenic (den Bakker et al., 2014). L. monocytogenes triggers the majority of listeriosis in humans although human infection with L. ivanovii is not unprecedented (Guillet et al., 2010; Snapir et al., 2006). There are 13 serotypes of L. monocytogenes that have been identified so far and each has the potential for generating disease in human hosts.