Listeriosis during pregnancy: A case series and review of 222 cases

Pregnant women have an increased incidence of listeriosis. We identified 11 patients with perinatal listeriosis who were treated at 4 hospitals in New England during a 10-year period. We also reviewed the English-language literature on perinatal listeriosis (January 1980-July 2000) and identified 222 previously reported cases. Most pregnant women with listeriosis had no additional predisposing factors. Fever was the most common symptom, and more than 30% of patients presented with a flu-like syndrome. In one-fifth of cases, pregnancy resulted in spontaneous abortion or stillbirth. Among the remaining 142 cases, 97 (68.3%) neonates were infected by Listeria. Infected neonates were most commonly diagnosed with pneumonia, bacteremia/sepsis, or meningitis. Meningitis alone, or in combination with bacteremia/sepsis or pneumonia, was associated with a worse prognosis.