Listeria Monocytogenes Infection in Pregnancy and Its Neonatal Consequences: a Clinical Case Analysis and Literature Review

Abstract

Pregnant patients are considered a high-risk group for Listeria monocytogenes infection. This disease is particularly dangerous during pregnancy due to possible complications for the pregnant woman and the fetus, and its diagnosis is complicated by nonspecific symptoms and a long incubation period. This clinical case analysis presents a pregnant woman who was admitted to a hospital with flu-like symptoms, having suffered from gastroenterocolitis several weeks earlier during a trip abroad. While being treated for suspected pneumonia, premature birth occurred, and chorioamnionitis was diagnosed. The newborn required cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was subsequently transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit for treatment. Despite treatment, the newborn died due to the progression of multiple organ failure, and the infectious pathogen - Listeria monocytogenes - was identified from microbiological tests of blood and trachea.