Objective: Listeriosis is a rare but severe foodborne disease that is contracted by the consumption of food contaminated with Listeria , and perinatal listeriosis can cause major adverse pregnancy outcomes. In the current study, we sought to retrospectively analyze 10 years of perinatal outcomes due to listeriosis in western China.
Methods: Based on the isolation of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes ), we retrospectively reviewed the pregnancy-associated cases of listeriosis from June 2010 to February 2022 at our hospital. We investigated the crude incidence, clinical manifestations, perinatal management, and outcomes of perinatal listeriosis cases.
Results: We diagnosed a total of 28 cases of perinatal listeriosis during the study period at our hospital, including four cases of twin pregnancies. Of the 28 cases, 32.14% (9/28) were infected in the second trimester and 67.86% (19/28) in the third trimester. The fetal or neonatal mortality rate for perinatal listeriosis was high, with a crude fetal mortality rate of 46.88% (15/32) in the 32 offspring and a neonatal mortality rate of 47.06% (8/17) in the 17 live births.
Conclusion: Perinatal listeriosis exhibits high fetal or neonatal mortality. We recommend that appropriate antibiotics be administered in cases of perinatal listeriosis.
Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes , bacteremia, perinatal listeriosis, perinatal outcomes