A 57-year-old man with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and hepatic cirrhosis with a positive serology for the hepatitis C virus was brought to the hospital with a fever (temperature 38.5℃), chills, night sweats, headaches, cough and anorexia. He was empirically treated with I.V. ampicillin/sulbactam (6g/d) and amikacine (1g/d). Two separate blood specimen cultures, drawn over 72 hours, yielded serotype 4 L. monocytogenes. The antibiotic therapy continued for 14 days. The patient's condition gradually improved with antibiotic therapy. When discharged, he was advised to take oral ampicillin/sulbactam (1,5g/d) for an additional 5 days.
A 70-year-old man was hospitalized in the hematology unit, showing symptoms of fever (temperature 38℃) and night sweats. The patient, who was treated for acute myeloid leukemia and with his last chemotherapy having been 6 weeks ago, had pancytopenia (a WBC count of 400/mm3 with 20% PMNs). On day 3 of hospitalization, L. monocytogenes was cultured in blood samples. The therapy began with ampicillin (8g/d) and amikacin (1g/d). On day 9, his condition continued to detoriate. He developed orofaringeal candidiasis and laboratory findings revealed deep neutropenia (a WBC count of 100/mm3). Antibiotic therapy was continued and I.V. amphotericin B (1mg/kg/d) was added. Despite these therapies, he died on the 13th day of hospitalization.