Sana Fatima Dogar, Mariam Danish Iqbal, Abdul Ahad, Khizer Aftab Ali Khan, Tariq Mahmud Tariq, Anum Hafeez.
Listeria monocytogenes, a case of mistaken identity.
Pak Postgrad Med J Jan ;33(4):124-7.

A 74 years old female patient who was a known case of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, and Breast Cancer presented in the Accident and Emergency Department with complaints of fever, seizures, and an altered state of consciousness. The patient was febrile with a temperature of 40° C, blood pressure was 140/80 mmHg, and pulse was 90 beats/min. She was in an altered state of consciousness with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 10/15. The rest of the physical examination was unremarkable. The pleomorphic nature of this bacterium and clinical presentation similar to meningitis caused by other micro-organisms make the laboratory and clinical diagnosis respectively rather difficult. We illustrate the clinical presentation, antibiotic therapy, and laboratory diagnosis of L.monocytogenes in a patient with weak immune status. A high clinical suspicion of Listeriosis is essential for prompt and accurate treatment if a case of meningitis is not responding to traditional empirical antibiotics, and especially in immunocompromised.

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