Disseminated Listeria monocytogenes and human pegivirus-1 coinfection.

BACKGROUND: Listeria monocytogenes is one of the major bacteria responsible for meningitis. Controversy exists regarding the neuropathological effect of human pegivirus-1 (HPgV-1). Whether HPgV-1 interacts with L. monocytogenes is unknown. Herein, we describe a multiple myeloma patient with disseminated L. monocytogenes and HPgV-1 coinfection. CASE PRESENTATION: The case of a 57-year-old patient with fever accompanied by headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting of stomach contents, and urinary and faecal incontinence is presented. Through metagenomic next-generation sequencing and the detection of L. monocytogenes and HPgV-1 in cerebrospinal fluid, along with blood culture of L. monocytogenes and PCR of HPgV-1 in the blood, a diagnosis of HPgV-1 and L. monocytogenes meningitis, HPgV-1 viremia, and L. monocytogenes sepsis was made, enabling timely and proper treatment with meropenem. After treatment, the patient recovered and was discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of disseminated L. monocytogenes and HPgV-1 coinfection. Determining whether HPgV-1 was responsible for meningitis will require further research, including histopathological analysis.