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Measuring Bacterial Load and Immune Responses in Mice Infected with Listeria monocytogenes
12:50

Measuring Bacterial Load and Immune Responses in Mice Infected with Listeria monocytogenes

Published on: August 9, 2011

[Meningoencephalitis by Listeria in the lupus disease]

A López Montes1, E Andrés Mompeán, M Martínez Villaescusa

  • 1Sección de Nefrología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Albacete. auroralmontes@hotmail.com

Anales De Medicina Interna (Madrid, Spain : 1984)
|December 15, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Lupus patients on steroids can develop severe Listeria meningoencephalitis. Prompt antibiotic treatment with gentamicin and ampicillin led to successful recovery in this case.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can affect multiple organs, including the kidneys (lupus nephropathy).
  • Patients with SLE, particularly those on immunosuppressive therapy like oral steroids, are at increased risk of opportunistic infections.
  • Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause severe invasive infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals.

Observation:

  • A patient with a 20-year history of lupus nephropathy, undergoing treatment with oral steroids, presented with meningoencephalitis.
  • The meningoencephalitis was associated with bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream) caused by Listeria monocytogenes.

Findings:

  • The patient received a 6-week course of treatment with gentamicin and ampicillin.
  • The treatment regimen successfully resolved the Listeria monocytogenes infection and associated meningoencephalitis.

Implications:

  • This case highlights the significant risk of Listeria monocytogenes infections, including severe neurological complications like meningoencephalitis, in patients with lupus and on steroid therapy.
  • Early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment are crucial for managing Listeria infections in immunocompromised patients, given the high mortality rate (around 30%).
  • The successful outcome underscores the efficacy of gentamicin and ampicillin in treating Listeria meningoencephalitis in this vulnerable patient population.

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