This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Diagnosis and treatment of listeriosis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Seek expert advice.

Diagnosis:

  • mother - blood cultures and clinical picture; serology, vaginal swabs, stool culture - no value
  • neonate - blood cultures, surface swabs, gastric aspirate
  • products of conception - placenta - tissue / swabs

Treatment:

  • suspected maternal case - amoxicillin or erythromycin
  • proven case - IV ampicillin OR penicillin OR erythromycin AND gentamicin

Notes:

  • Listeria spp. are resistant to cephalosporins.
  • gentamicin should be avoided in pregnancy - if listeriosis in pregnancy then amoxicillin/ampicillin therapy only
  • erythromycin is used instead of amoxicillin/ampicillin if the patient is allergic to penicillin

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.