[Listeria monocytogenes infection during pregnancy--modern aspects]

During a ten years period (1997-2006) at the delivery ward of Maychin dom university hospital were admitted 31,430 parturients. Among all of them we indentified and evaluated only 4 pregnant patients with Listeria monocytogenes infection. During the first 8 years of the investigated period there was no even single case of the infection, whilst during the last 2 years the frequency of the Listeria infection among all birth deliveries was 0,068%. All of our four cases were admitted with clinical symptoms of preterm birth and had premature labor. One of the four examined births underwent urgent Caesarean Section because of intrapartal fetal distress, which makes 25% of the operative birth deliveries. All the maternity patients are diagnosed during the postpartum period whilst searching for the microbial reason of the severe infection of the newborns. All of the four newborns experience infection complications. Septic condition of one of the neonates was not possible to be overcome and was followed by an exitus. The observed neonatal mortality among the group is 25%.