Ongoing High Incidence and Case-Fatality Rates for Invasive Listeriosis, Germany, 2010-2019

Abstract

We used 10 years of surveillance data to describe listeriosis frequency in Germany. Altogether, 5,576 cases were reported, 91% not pregnancy associated; case counts increased over time. Case-fatality rate was 13% in non-pregnancy-associated cases, most in adults ≥65 years of age. Detecting, investigating, and ending outbreaks might have the greatest effect on incidence.

Keywords: Germany; Listeria monocytogenes; bacteria; case-fatality rate; enteric infections; food contamination; food safety; food-borne infections; gastrointestinal infections; incidence; listeriosis; whole-genome sequencing.

Figure 1

Distribution of pregnancy-associated and non–pregnancy-associated listeriosis cases, by year and quarter, Germany, 2010–2019 (n = 5,576). In the x-axis labels, I corresponds to January–March, II to April–June, III to July–September, and IV to October–December. Before the third quarter of 2015, two groups of patients were not included in the reference definition: those with unknown or unfulfilled clinical criteria and those with nucleic acid detection only. Data from these groups are displayed separately to make the changes in trends over time more apparent.

Figure 2

Distribution of non–pregnancy-associated listeriosis cases (n = 5,061) in which the patients died (n = 658) and case-fatalities by year and cause of death, Germany, 2010–2019. Black line indicates percentage of infected persons who died.