[Epidemiologic study of human listeriosis in France, 1984]

To estimate the incidence rate of listeriosis in France during one year, a census of all the isolates of Listeria monocytogenes was made in 1984 by the microbiologists of 78% of the French hospitals. 630 cases of listeriosis were registered giving a yearly incidence rate of 11.3 cases for 1 million inhabitants. 353 cases (56%) were perinatal listeriosis (positive cultures for L. monocytogenes from the mother, the child or the placenta). Compared with earlier data, listeriosis seems to be more frequent in France now than ten years ago. A higher incidence rate in and around the Ile de France region and a seasonal increase in October were observed in 1984.