Molecular evidence of Listeria monocytogenes infection relapse in a severe case of endocarditis

Introduction. Endocarditis is a rare complication of bacteraemia due to Listeria monocytogenes and is characterized by a high fatality rate (37-50 %). Recurrent infection by Listeria monocytogenes occurs even more rarely. Case presentation. We report a case of recurrent Listeria monocytogenes infection that resulted in severe endocarditis in a 66-year-old patient with an aortic valve prosthesis. Relapse was confirmed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Conclusion. Our case highlights that the molecular subtyping approach is an important tool for the detection of microbial reinfections and for the support of clinical diagnosis.