Incidence Rate and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Listeria Species in High Risk Groups

Abstract

Introduction: Listeriosis, a bacterial food borne disease caused by Listeria spp. leads to mild food poisoning in the healthy individuals and severe systemic disease in immunocompromised patients, pregnant women and extremes of age. Listeriosis in India largely remains ignored, even though there is an increase in the prevalence worldwide. Aim: To determine the incidence rate of Listeria spp. in clinical samples collected from various immuno-compromised individuals and to study its antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Materials and Methods: Total 643 clinical samples from high-risk group individuals were tested for Listeria spp. using standard culture and identification methods. Results: The overall incidence rate of Listeriosis in high risk individuals was 4.98%. The incidence rate in pregnant women and women with bad obstetric history was found to be 11.04%. Listeria spp. was found in 10.2 % of gastroenteritis cases, which is one of the major concerns in high risk groups. Increased resistance to clindamycin 68.8%, followed by penicillin G 37.5%, erythromycin 31.3% and ampicillin 25 % was found. Conclusion: In view of the high incidence rate of Listeriosis in our setting, it should be considered as a differential diagnosis in the high risk groups and diagnostic capability for the pathogen needs to be strengthened. Furthermore, increased antibiotic resistance is a cause for concern and the trends need to be monitored.

Keywords

• immuno-compromised patients
• listeria monocytogenes
• listeriosis
• pregnancy