A preterm neonate at 30 weeks gestation develops respiratory distress and shock on day 2 of life. The mother had a febrile illness with myalgias one week before delivery after consuming unpasteurized cheese. Blood culture grows a gram-positive rod showing characteristic tumbling motility. Which organism is MOST likely?

• A Listeria monocytogenes ✓
• B Group B Streptococcus
• C Escherichia coli
• D Staphylococcus aureus

Explanation

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive rod with characteristic tumbling motility, acquired from contaminated unpasteurized dairy products. It causes early-onset neonatal sepsis with a characteristic disseminated miliary granulomatous rash (granulomatosis infantiseptica). GBS and E. coli do not show tumbling motility. S. aureus is a gram-positive coccus.

Reference: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 21st ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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