Rocourt J, Hof H, Schrettenbrunner A, Malinverni R, Bille J
Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1986 Feb 22;116(8):248-51.
Within the genus Listeria, the species L. monocytogenes most frequently causes disease in animals and humans. L. Seeligeri, a species recently described, has been considered experimentally nonpathogenic so far. The authors report the first case of human infection in a previously healthy adult presenting with acute purulent meningitis due to L. seeligeri. The patient recovered promptly after a course of ampicillin and gentamicin, but developed severe neurological sequelae (epilepsy, hydrocephalus) one year after the acute episode. The pathogenic properties of this isolate were investigated in two experimental animal models and the results were as follows. The clinical isolate of L. seeligeri was able to colonize the spleens of adult mice without bacterial multiplication, in contrast to the type strain of L. seeligeri (no colonization) and to a L. monocytogenes strain (colonization and multiplication). Previous infection of adult mice with the clinical L. seeligeri isolate protected moderately against spleen colonization and bacterial multiplication after challenge with L. monocytogenes. No lethal effect was observed after inoculation of suckling mice with the clinical L. seeligeri isolate, in contrast to L. monocytogenes strains. Thus, L. seeligeri, previously described as experimentally nonpathogenic for mice, may in fact be a heterogeneous species regarding its pathogenicity, and include strains that may cause life-threatening diseases in humans.
在李斯特菌属中，单核细胞增生李斯特菌最常引起动物和人类疾病。希氏李斯特菌是最近描述的一个菌种，迄今为止一直被认为在实验中无致病性。作者报告了首例由希氏李斯特菌引起的急性化脓性脑膜炎的先前健康成年人类感染病例。患者在接受氨苄西林和庆大霉素治疗后迅速康复，但在急性发作一年后出现了严重的神经后遗症（癫痫、脑积水）。在两种实验动物模型中研究了该分离株的致病特性，结果如下。与希氏李斯特菌的标准菌株（无定植）和单核细胞增生李斯特菌菌株（定植并繁殖）相比，希氏李斯特菌的临床分离株能够在成年小鼠的脾脏中定植但无细菌繁殖。用希氏李斯特菌临床分离株预先感染成年小鼠，在用单核细胞增生李斯特菌攻击后，对脾脏定植和细菌繁殖有一定程度的保护作用。与单核细胞增生李斯特菌菌株不同，用希氏李斯特菌临床分离株接种乳鼠后未观察到致死效应。因此，先前被描述为对小鼠实验无致病性的希氏李斯特菌，实际上在致病性方面可能是一个异质菌种，并且包括可能在人类中引起危及生命疾病的菌株。
