ABSTRACT
Although an important cause of central nervous system (CNS) infection, Listeria monocytogenes poses the paradox of frequent exposure with rare development of life threatening illness. This environmental microbe has a tropism for the CNS, which expresses itself in a variety of clinical syndromes, including pure meningitis, meningo-encephalitis, and rhomboencephalitis. Consideration of this pathogen is essential when providing empiric antimicrobial therapy for these clinical syndromes.
