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Listeric meningitis in the non-compromised host

Listerien-Meningitis bei Patienten mit normalem Immunstatus

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Summary

A small epidemic of listeric infection among non-compromised adults recently occurred in the western part of Sweden. All ten patients survived and the prognosis of listeric meningitis in non-compromised patients would seem to be considerably better than in the compromised host. A rapid initiation of ampicillin treatment (10–20 mg/kg of body weight daily) within 48 hours after onset of symptoms may have contributed to the excellent outcome in the present series besides a well-functioning intracellular killing mechanism which seems to be of the greatest importance in listeric infection.

Zusammenfassung

Eine Listerien-Epidemie bei immunologisch intakten Erwachsenen trat vor einiger Zeit im westlichen Teil Schwedens auf. Alle zehn Patienten überlebten. Die Prognose der Listerien-Meningitis bei immunologisch nicht beeinträchtigten Patienten scheint beträchtlich besser zu sein als bei vorgeschädigten. Eine rasche Anwendung von Ampicillin (10–20 mg/kg/KG täglich) innerhalb der ersten 48 Stunden nach Einsetzen der klinischen Symptome mögen zu dem ausgezeichneten Ergebnis bei den beobachteten Fällen beigetragen haben, möglicherweise deswegen, weil ein gut funktionierender intrazellulärer Abtötungsmechanismus dieser Bakterien bei Listerien-Infektionen von größter Bedeutung sein kann.

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Iwarson, S., Lidin-Janson, G. & Svensson, R. Listeric meningitis in the non-compromised host. Infection 5, 204–206 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01640780

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