Diagnosis & Testing
How do I know if I have Listeriosis?
If you develop fever and chills while pregnant or if you are very sick with fever and muscle aches or stiff neck, consult your doctor immediately. A blood or spinal fluid test (to look for the bacteria) will show if you have listeriosis.
Clinical Diagnosis
Diagnosis is confirmed only after isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from a normally sterile site, such as blood, or from amniotic fluid or the placenta in the setting of pregnancy. Listeria monocytogenes can be isolated readily on routine media, but care must be taken to distinguish this organism from other Gram-positive rods, particularly diphtheroids. Selective enrichment media improve rates of isolation from contaminated specimens. Serological tests are unreliable, and not recommended at the present time.
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