Urinary retention secondary to Listeria meningitis

We report a rare case of urinary retention secondary to Listeria meningitis. A 90-year-old woman presented with high fever, nausea, diarrhea, and incontinence of urination and feces. Lumbar puncture was performed. The total cell number of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was elevated indicating that the glucose level was decreased. A CSF culture and a blood culture revealed Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). We treated this bacterial meningitis with antibiotic medicine. One month after onset, stiff neck and laboratory data greatly improved and only urinary retention continued. Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no responsible lesions for the urinary retention. She received urological examination for urinary retention and was diagnosed with a neurogenic bladder. Two months later, she was able to walk after rehabilitation. However, the urinary retention continued despite urological therapy. We are not aware of descriptions on urinary retention resulting from bacterial meningitis in the recent literature. This is a rare case of prolonged urinary retention caused by bacterial meningitis.