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The patient\u2019s course was complicated by aspiration pneumonia due to bulbar dysfunction and neuromuscular respiratory failure, requiring prolonged intubation. The patient was treated with an 8\u2009week course of ampicillin and gentamicin and was discharged home with residual, though improving, hemiparesis and cranial neuropathy. This case highlights the importance of considering Listeria rhombencephalitis in postpartum women with neurologic deficits and fever, even in the absence of meningeal signs. It also emphasises the crucial role of early diagnosis and treatment in reducing mortality and the severity of neurologic sequelae.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2025-266790","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,14]],"date-time":"2025-07-14T03:40:28Z","timestamp":1752464428000},"page":"e266790","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Listeria rhombencephalitis in the postpartum period"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0133-2097","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jordan","family":"Schneider","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine, Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8856-8102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joon Yup","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Internal Medicine, Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Oey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Disease, Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2022.20521"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00415-017-8572-2"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005792-199809000-00002"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"263","DOI":"10.2176\/nmc.53.263","article-title":"Stereotactic biopsy and drainage of a brainstem abscess caused by Listeria monocytogenes","volume":"53","author":"Beynon","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo)"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1177\/0300060520982653","article-title":"Severe invasive Listeria monocytogenes rhombencephalitis mimicking facial neuritis in a healthy middle-aged man: a case report and literature review","volume":"49","author":"Cao","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Int Med Res"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamaneurol.2018.2741","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes-Induced Rhombencephalitis-A Paradoxical Disease of Immunocompetent Patients","volume":"75","author":"Budhram","year":"2018","journal-title":"JAMA Neurol"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"198","DOI":"10.1097\/NRL.0000000000000212","article-title":"Clinical Presentation and Cranial MRI Findings of Listeria monocytogenes Encephalitis: A Literature Review of Case Series","volume":"23","author":"Arslan","year":"2018","journal-title":"Neurologist"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.14.3.584-640.2001"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00365540410020938"},{"key":"2025082712365272000_18.7.e266790.10","unstructured":"Investigation update: listeria outbreak, meats sliced at delis. n.d. 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