K. Skogberg et al., CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND OUTCOME OF LISTERIOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH ANDWITHOUT IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY, Clinical infectious diseases, 14(4), 1992, pp. 815-821
Seventy-four cases of systemic listeriosis occurring from 1971 to 1989
in the greater Helsinki area in Finland are reviewed with a special i
nterest in the effect of preceding immunosuppressive therapy on the cl
inical presentation. Of these patients, 66% had an underlying disease,
most commonly malignancy, diabetes mellitus, or renal transplantation
, and 43% had received immunosuppressive therapy within 1 week before
onset of listeriosis. Bacteremia and central nervous system infections
(both in 43% of cases) were the most common clinical entities. The pe
rcentage of patients with meningitis was not greater among immunosuppr
essed patients (13/32, 41%) than among patients with underlying diseas
es not treated with immunosuppressive agents (9/16, 56%) or among prev
iously healthy nonpregnant hosts (7/11, 64%). Immunosuppressed patient
s did not die more frequently than did those with underlying diseases
not treated with immunosuppressive therapy (case fatality rate, 29% vs
. 38%, respectively). However, all previously healthy non-neonatal pat
ients survived, whereas 32% (15/47) of those with any kind of underlyi
ng disease succumbed.