Analysis of listeriosis infection cases during pregnancy among 70 131 deliveries

OBJECTIVE To provide evidence for the diagnosis of listeriosis through a retrospective study of clinical features and results of pregnant women infected with listeriosis. METHODS Twenty-nine pregnant women infected with listeriosis visiting West China Second University Hospital affiliated to Sichuan University from July 2010 to February 2019 were included in the retrospective analysis. Data like general information, clinical symptoms, laboratory results, and pathogen detection were analyzed to conclude clinical characteristics. RESULTS The median age of 29 patients was 28 (18.0-42.0). Nine individuals visited in the second trimester, while 20 in the last trimester. The median course before visiting was 3.4 (0.1-19) days. The main symptoms of the first attendance were fever (21/29), increased white blood cells (26/29), abdominal pain (16/29), and decreased or vanished fetal movements (7/29). Samples where listeria were identified were maternal blood (14 cases), excreta from birth canal (24 cases), placenta (one case), newborn blood (seven cases), newborn sputum (eight cases), newborn excreta from auditory meatus (three cases), cerebrospinal fluid (two cases) and ocular discharge (one case). Inflammation was detected in pathological examination of placenta in all subjects. Among them, three were diagnosed with mild chorioamnionitis; five with moderate chorioamnionitis; nine with moderate-to-severe chorioamnionitis and 12 with severe chorioamnionitis. Among 33 fetuses carried by 29 subjects, fetal outcomes include six miscarriages, nine stillbirths, four newborn deaths immediately after birth and four after treatment discontinuation, nine discharges after successful treatment in hospital, and one death after treatment. As for maternal outcomes, 29 pregnant women all recovered after delivery. CONCLUSION With the acute onset, high incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and low coverage of initial treatment, clinical physicians need to raise the awareness of listeriosis during pregnancy.