{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T18:06:32Z","timestamp":1776881192064,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776816000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic>Listeria monocytogenes<\/jats:italic>\n                      is a Gram-positive rod responsible for listeriosis. It has emerged as a significant foodborne pathogen and has been implicated in numerous outbreaks worldwide often present with bacteremia and may progress to severe manifestations such as meningoencephalitis, particularly in immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. Maternofetal infection is associated with worse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study is to assess the risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes of patients admitted with\n                      <jats:italic>Listeria monocytogenes<\/jats:italic>\n                      infection at a tertiary care Centre in Karachi, Pakistan.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A retrospective study was conducted over 7 years and included all patients with culture-proven listeriosis. Comorbid conditions, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes were recorded and analyzed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 63 patients diagnosed with\n                      <jats:italic>Listeria monocytogenes<\/jats:italic>\n                      infection were included in the study. There was a female predominance (n\u2009=\u200944, 69.8%), with a median age of 53\n                      <jats:bold>(32.0, 67.0)<\/jats:bold>\n                      years. Diabetes mellitus was the most common comorbidity (n\u2009=\u200927, 42.9%). Among high-risk groups, 14 (22.6%) patients were pregnant, 10 (15.9%) were on immunosuppressive therapy, and another 10 (15.9%) were classified as elderly. The predominant presenting symptoms included fever (n\u2009=\u200947, 74.6%) and central nervous system involvement (n\u2009=\u200928, 44.4%), mainly meningoencephalitis. All patients received antibiotic therapy with either ampicillin or meropenem for a mean duration of 16.7\u2009\u00b1\u20098.4 days. The overall mortality rate was11.1%.(n\u2009=\u20097).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Listeriosis was observed not only in the elderly but also in middle-aged individuals with underlying risk factors, as well as in pregnant women.Improved environmental hygeine, early diagnosis, and timely treatment are essential to improving outcomes, particularly in pregnancy-related cases. Public education, healthcare provider training, and community-level preventive strategies are critical for effective management and control of listeriosis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0346612","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T17:32:04Z","timestamp":1776879124000},"page":"e0346612","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Risk factors and outcomes of emerging Listeria monocytogenes infection in Pakistan: Insights from a tertiary care hospital"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Zara","family":"Nadeem","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iffat","family":"Khanum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4422-5650","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Imran","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tahir","family":"Munir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kiren","family":"Habib","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0346612.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"256","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-016-1602-3","article-title":"Comorbidities and factors associated with central nervous system infections and death in non-perinatal listeriosis: a clinical case series","volume":"16","author":"C Maertens De Noordhout","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0346612.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1248","DOI":"10.1111\/tmi.12173","article-title":"Systematic review of human listeriosis in China, 1964-2010","volume":"18","author":"Y Feng","year":"2013","journal-title":"Trop Med Int Health"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0346612.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"542","DOI":"10.3390\/foods8110542","article-title":"Characterization of Listeria Monocytogenes Originating from the Spanish Meat-Processing Chain","volume":"8","author":"R Capita","year":"2019","journal-title":"Foods"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0346612.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2231","DOI":"10.1007\/s00248-023-02269-9","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes an emerging pathogen: a comprehensive overview on listeriosis, virulence determinants, detection, and anti-listerial interventions","volume":"86","author":"R Ravindhiran","year":"2023","journal-title":"Microb Ecol"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0346612.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"510","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(16)30521-7","article-title":"Clinical features and prognostic factors of listeriosis: the MONALISA national prospective cohort study","volume":"17","author":"C Charlier","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"key":"pone.0346612.ref006","volume-title":"Global Prevalence of Listeriosis","author":"R Zahid","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0346612.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.18231\/j.ijpca.2023.001","article-title":"Higher prevalence of Listeriosis in Indian subcontinent, a food related menace","volume":"10","author":"S Chaudhry","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Pharm Chem Anal"},{"key":"pone.0346612.ref008","first-page":"49","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes outbreak \u2013 serendipity or emerging threat?","volume":"31","author":"M Irshad","year":"2022","journal-title":"Infect Dis J Pakistan"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0346612.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0142986","article-title":"Risk factors for sporadic non-pregnancy associated listeriosis in germany-immunocompromised patients and frequently consumed ready-to-eat products","volume":"10","author":"K Preu\u00dfel","year":"2015","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0346612.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100128","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mran.2020.100128","article-title":"Risk factors for sporadic listeriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"17","author":"A Leclercq","year":"2021","journal-title":"Microbial Risk Analysis"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0346612.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-022-04613-2","article-title":"Listeriosis during pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study","volume":"22","author":"Y Ke","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0346612.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"771","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jiph.2023.03.013","article-title":"Mortality risk factors related to listeriosis - 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