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Listeriosis Notification — SCE Infectious Diseases MCQ

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EasyTravel Medicine & VaccinationListeriosis NotificationSCE Infectious Diseases

A 50-year-old man with no travel history develops a febrile illness with hepatosplenomegaly. Blood cultures grow a Gram-positive rod identified as Listeria monocytogenes. He is not immunosuppressed and not elderly. He reports eating soft unpasteurised cheese purchased at a farmers' market. What is the public health implication?

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Correct answer: C — Notify the local Health Protection Team — Listeriosis is notifiable and food-borne outbreaks require investigation to prevent further cases

Listeriosis is a notifiable disease in England and Wales. Food-borne Listeria outbreaks can be devastating (particularly affecting pregnant women, neonates, the elderly, and immunocompromised). Notification to the local HPT triggers: food history investigation, potential source identification (unpasteurised dairy products, ready-to-eat meats, smoked fish), environmental sampling, and product recall if a common source is identified. Whole-genome sequencing of Listeria isolates allows precise outbreak linkage. The incubation period is long (1–70 days), complicating source identification.

Reference: UKHSA 2024 – Listeriosis surveillance; Public Health Notifications; NICE CKS