Early listeriosis after liver transplantation: report of 2 cases

Listeria monocytogenes is a rare cause of potentially lethal infection and sepsis in transplant patients. Listeriosis is usually described after kidney or bone marrow transplant, and has rarely been reported after liver transplantation. Here, the authors present two cases of severe Listeria infection occurring within three months after complicated liver transplantation in patients still recovering on the ward. The patients were successfully treated by intravenous ampicillin. These cases should remind transplant physicians that listeriosis may develop in liver recipients, that food safety advice should be provided, and that intravenous ampicillin might be an effective treatment for systemic listeriosis in solid organ recipients.