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Listeria isolations from feces of patients with diarrhea and from healthy food handlers

Listerien im Stuhl von Diarrhöe-Patienten und von gesunden Personen aus dem Lebensmittelgewerbe

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Summary

A study was undertaken on the presence and frequency ofListeria sp. in feces from 1,000 patients suffering from diarrheal diseases and from 2,000 healthy persons. Furthermore, the feces of patients were examined for other well-documented enteropathogens such asCampylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, protozoa and rotavirus as well as for organisms of questionable enteropathogenic potency such as fungi, i.e. Candida. Finally, in continuation of previously described investigations of the enteropathogenic role ofProteus mirabilis but not ofProteus vulgaris, both these species were studied too. OnlyListeria innocua andListeria monocytogenes could be detected in the investigated fecal specimens. There were no differences of the frequencies ofL. innocua, andL. monocytogenes between patients and healthy persons. 17 strains (= 1.7%) ofL. innocua and six strains (= 0.6%) ofL. monocytogenes were isolated from 1,000 samples of patients. As a comparison 2,000 fecal samples from healthy people contained 40 strains (= 2.0%) ofL. innocua and 16 strains (= 0.8%) ofL. monocytogenes. A coincidence study showed that there were no statistically significant correlations between well-known enteropathogens andListeria sp.,Proteus sp. or any of the other isolates. Significant correlations were found only between harmless species such asL. innocua andP. vulgaris.

Zusammenfassung

In der vorliegenden Studie wurde das Vorkommen und die Häufigkeit von Listerien in Stuhlproben von 1000 Patienten mit Diarrhöe und 2000 Gesunden untersucht, um das Spektrum der verschiedenenListeria-Arten kennenzulernen. Zusätzlich wurden die Fäzes der Kranken auf bekannte darmpathogene Erreger wieCampylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Protozoen und Rotaviren untersucht sowie auf Keime fraglich enteropathogener Bedeutung wie etwa Hefepilze. In Fortführung vorausgegangener Arbeiten wurden sowohl der enteropathogeneProteus mirabilis als auch der im Intestinaltrakt offensichtlich apathogeneProteus vulgaris in die Studie miteinbezogen. In den Fäzesproben konnten lediglich die beiden Listeria-ArtenListeria innocua undListeria monocytogenes gefunden werden. Offensichtlich sind alle übrigenListeria-Arten im menschlichen Darmtrakt wesentlich seltener. Die beiden vorhandenen kamen bei Gesunden und Kranken gleich häufig vor. Im Kollektiv der Gesunden konnten 40L. innocua-Stämme (= 2,0%) und 16L. monocytogenes-Stämme (= 0,8%) isoliert werden, bei dem Kollektiv der Diarrhöe-Erkrankten waren es 17L. innocua-Stämme (= 1,7%) und sechsL. monocytogenes-Stämme (= 0,6%). Daraus geht deutlich hervor, daß Listerien an der diarrhöischen Symptomatik unbeteiligt sind. Eine Koinzidenzstudie zur Frage möglicher Zusammenhänge zwischen verschiedenen enteropathogenen Erregern ergab keine statistisch signifikaten Korrelationen. Lediglich zwischen den beiden harmlosen ArtenL. innocua undProteus vulgaris wurde eine Korrelation gefunden.

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  1. Staatliches Medizinaluntersuchungsamt Braunschweig, Hallestr. 1, D-3300, Braunschweig, FR Germany

    H. E. Müller

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Müller, H.E. Listeria isolations from feces of patients with diarrhea and from healthy food handlers. Infection 18, 97–100 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01641423

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