--- title: When to consider antibiotics for Listeria date: 2023-11-24T11:14:00-08:00 author: Julie Dueck canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/when-to-consider-antibiotics-for-listeria" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Case News](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news) / # When to consider antibiotics for Listeria There are few symptoms that are unique to listeriosis, so doctors must consider a variety of potential causes for infection, including viral infections (like the flu), and other bacterial infections that may cause sepsis or meningitis. Early diagnosis and treatment of listeriosis in high-risk patients is critical, because the outcome of untreated infection can be devastating. The need for early treatment is especially prevalant for pregnant women because of the increased risk of spontaneous abortion and preterm delivery. Depending on the risk group, rates of death from listeriosis range from 10 to 50 percent, with the highest rate among newborns in the first week of life. Methods typically used to identify diarrhea-causing bacteria in stool cultures interfere or limit the growth of *Listeria*, making it less likely to be identified and isolated for further testing. On the other hand, routine methods are effective for isolating *Listeria* from spinal fluid, blood, and joint fluid. Listeriosis is usually a self-limited illness — which means that most infected individuals will improve without the need for medical care. But for healthy individuals with a high fever, a stool culture and antibiotic treatment may be justified. While there have been no studies done to determine the best drugs or treatment duration, ampicillin is generally considered the preferred agent. There is no consensus on the best approach for patients who are allergic to penicillin. For those persons who suffer a *Listeria* infection that does not resolve on its own, the complications (or *sequelae*) can be many. The most common is septicemia (bacterial pathogens in the blood, also known as bacteremia), and meningitis is the second most common. Other complications can include inflammation of the brain or brain stem (encephalitis), brain abscess, inflammation of the heart-membrane (endocarditis), and localized infection, either internally or of the skin. Invasive infections with *Listeria* can be treated with antibiotics. When infection occurs during pregnancy, antibiotics given promptly to the pregnant woman can often prevent infection of the fetus or newborn. Babies with listeriosis receive the same antibiotics as adults, although a combination of antibiotics is often used until physicians are certain of the diagnosis. Death is the most severe consequence of listeriosis, and it is tragically common. For example, based on 2009 FoodNet surveillance data**,** 89.2 percent of *Listeria* patients ended up in the hospital, the highest hospitalization rate for pathogenic bacterial infection. 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