Control, prevention and public health significance
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Specimens to be collected
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Visceral form
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Neural form
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Abortion
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Ruminants in early stages of septicaemic listeriosis respond to systemic therapy with ampicillin or amoxicillin.
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Response to antibiotic therapy may be poor in neural listeriosis although prolonged higher doses of ampicillin or amoxicillin combined with an aminoglycoside may be effective.
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Ocular listeriosis requires treatment with antibiotics and corticosteroids injected subconjuctivily.
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Poor quality silage should be avoided. Vaccination with killed vaccines, which do not induce effective cell-mediated immune response, is not protective because L.monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen. Live, attenuated vaccines, which contain serovars 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b are reported to reduce the prevalence of listeriosis in sheep.
Public health significance
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L.monocytogenes causes meningoencephalitis, meningitis, encephalitis and uterine infection with abortion, stillbirths, granulomatosis and valvular endocarditis in humans.
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The source could be soil, contaminated milk, cheese, meat, vegetables and human carriers.
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Infection is frequently associated with immuno-compromised persons.
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Last modified: Monday, 4 June 2012, 4:49 AM