A 59-year-old man was admitted to the infectious diseases unit with a 2-day history of fever, altered mental status and headaches. He had a coronary heart disease. On admission to hospital the patient was afebrile. On day 2 of hospitalization, he developed a high fever (temperature 38.5℃) and meningeal signs. Examination of the CSF revealed a meningeal syndrome. The CSF culture yielded serotype 4 L. monocytogenes. The patient received penicillin G (24MU/d) and amikacin (1g/d) intravenously for 14-day. On day 6 of hospitalization, he became afebrile and his symptoms and findings gradually improved after administering of the therapy. The patient was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Antibiotic therapy continued with po ampicillin (4g/d) for 4 days, and then he was discharged.
A 42-year-old man was admitted to the dermatology unit because of pemphigus vulgaris. He was being treated with methylprednisolone, ranitidine and hydrotalcid. On day 43 of admission, meningoencephalitis occurred, characterized by a sudden onset of fever (temperature 39.2℃), meningeal signs and disturbances of consciousness. The meningeal syndrome was associated with purulent CSF pleocytosis with a predominance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). He was transferred into the infectious diseases unit. The CSF culture was positive for serotype 1 of the L. monocytogenes. Blood cultures were negative. A combination of penicillin G (20MU/d) and amikacin (1g/d) was administered to the patient. The patient's condition began to deteriorate despite intensive supportive therapy and he died on the fourth day of the antibiotic therapy.