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A rare case of meningoencephalitis by Listeria monocytogenes in systemic lupus erythematosus: case report and review

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Abstract

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a high risk of infection. Central nervous system infection and neuropsychiatric SLE are both major causes of death. It is vital to distinguish between these two conditions to improve prognosis due to the treatment paradigms required for each condition. Here, we report one case of meningoencephalitis by Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in a patient with SLE who presented with fever and developed headache and altered in consciousness in the hospital. The cerebrospinal fluid culture was positive for LM, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were suggestive of ependymitis and periventricular white matter lesions. Amoxicillin/sulbactam, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and rifampicin were administered for 8 weeks. The patient had a relative good recovery without serious neurological sequelae after a follow-up of nearly 2 years. MRI abnormalities also had obvious resolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Beijing Chao Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8 GongTi South Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100020, China

    Tian-Yan Shi, Yong-Feng Zhang, Xu-Hua Shi, Xiao-Hong Wen, Xin Dong, Juan Meng, Hai-Yun Li, Xiao-Xu Yuan, Yi Zheng & Yue-Wu Lu

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  1. Tian-Yan Shi
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  2. Yong-Feng Zhang
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  3. Xu-Hua Shi
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  5. Xin Dong
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Correspondence to Yi Zheng or Yue-Wu Lu.

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Shi, TY., Zhang, YF., Shi, XH. et al. A rare case of meningoencephalitis by Listeria monocytogenes in systemic lupus erythematosus: case report and review. Clin Rheumatol 37, 271–275 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3783-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3783-6

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