GASTROENTERITIS CAUSED BY LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN A PRIVATE DAY-CARE FACILITY

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne potential pathogen that causes invasive disease, usually presenting as septicemia and/or meningitis affecting all age groups, or a generalized infection in the newborn. Noninvasive disease caused by this organism is rarely reported. It is well-known that invasive disease may be preceded by gastrointestinal symptoms but L. monocytogenes has not generally been accepted as a cause of gastroenteritis. In recent years, however, two outbreaks of gastroenteritis caused by L. monocytogenes have been encountered in Italy and the US. We report a small outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by this bacterium in a Danish private day-care setting.