Table 1. Demographic, history, physical examination, and laboratory data from three patients with listerial meningitis on admission to our hospital.
| Data | Case | Normal Range | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Sex | Male | Male | Female | — |
| Age (y) | 77 | 30 | 34 | — |
| Clinical | ||||
| Day of illness | 8 | 9 | 3 | — |
| Neck stiffness | + | + | + | — |
| Headache | + | + | + | — |
| Fever | + | + | + | — |
| Vomiting | NA | + | + | — |
| Axillary temperature (°C) | NA | 37.5 | 37 | — |
| Pulse (/min) | NA | 84 | 80 | — |
| Blood pressure (mm Hg) | NA | 160/80 | 90/60 | — |
| Respiratory rate (/min) | NA | 32 | 20 | — |
| GCS | 8 | 11 | 9 | — |
| CSF referring hospital | ||||
| Day of illness | 5 | 5 | — | — |
| White cells (106 cells/l) | 3,100 | 960 | — | <10 |
| Neutrophils | 90% | 75% | — | — |
| Lymphocytes | 10% | 25% | — | — |
| Red cells (106 cells/l) | 20,000 | 2,700 | — | <10 |
| Glucose CSF (mmol/l) | 3.6 | 0.3 | — | 2.2–3.8 |
| Glucose blood (mmol/l) | ND | 6.5 | — | 3.9–6.4 |
| Glucose ratio blood/CSF | ND | 0.05 | — | >50% |
| Protein (g/l) | 4 | 2.5 | — | <0.45 |
| CSF | ||||
| Colour | Orange | Yellow | Yellow | — |
| Opening pressure (cm H2O) | 4,5 | 17 | >40 | 7–18 |
| White cells (106 cells/l) | 1,145 | 600 | 46 | <10 |
| Neutrophils | 70% | 49% | 69% | — |
| Lymphocytes | 30% | 51% | 31% | — |
| Red cells (106 cells/l) | 15,750 | 120 | 0 | <10 |
| Glucose CSF (mmol/l) | 6.43 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.2–3.8 |
| Glucose blood (mmol/l) | 8.55 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 3.9–6.4 |
| Glucose ratio CSF/blood | 0.75 | 0.15 | 0.13 | >50% |
| Lactate (mmol/l) | 4.1 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 0.6–2.4 |
| Protein (g/l) | 4.1 | 1.98 | 1.87 | <0.45 |
| Gram stain | Neg | Neg | Neg | — |
| Bacterial culture | Pos | Pos | Pos | — |
| ZN stain | Neg | Neg | Neg | — |
| India Ink stain | Neg | Neg | Neg | — |
| Blood | ||||
| Hematocrit | 28.4% | 36.2% | 33.0% | 35–45 |
| White cells (109 cells/l) | 12.1 | 20.5 | 19.2 | 5–10 |
| Neutrophils | 92.4% | 87.7% | 93.0% | 44–66 |
| Lymphocytes | 3.4% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 23–43 |
| Platelets (109 cells/l) | 169 | 352 | 449 | 150–400 |
| ALT (U/l) | 50 | 48 | 24 | <40 |
| AST (U/l) | 34 | 165 | 12 | <40 |
| Albumin g/l | 29.7 | NA | NA | 35–50 |
| Bilirubin (µmol/l) | 15.7 | 20 | 14 | 0–17 |
| HIV test | Neg | Neg | Neg | — |
| Bacterial culture | Neg | Neg | Neg | — |
NA, not available; ND, not determined; ALT, alanine aminotransferases; AST, aspartate aminotransferase.